Grapes by Frankie Reed

Grapes by Frankie Reed

Author: Maggie Devers October 1, 2025 Duration: 2:21

Grapes

Frankie Reed

we hung together —
tight, green,
not yet sweet.
small things,
skin against skin,
no space for air.

you leaned
into every breeze.
I held still.
neither of us said
what we knew
about weight.

we ripened unevenly.
you softened.
I didn’t.

the stalk grew thin
between us.
not broken —
just tired.

when I fell,
there was no sound.
just grass.
just air.
just me,
not where you were.

you stayed.
you always would have.
still facing the light
like it was enough.

if I’d stayed too,
maybe we’d have gone
quietly —
turned dark,
sank sweet
into ourselves.

but I tasted the sour
before it came.
and left
before you noticed.

More from Frankie Reed ↓


You can listen to me read another poem, titled Skin, by Frankie over on Instagram @rembrandts.cure

Mentioned in this episode:

Write After: National Poetry Month with One Poem Only

Write After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. We'll get started in April. You can share to #WriteAfterOPO.

#WriteAfterOPO


Each day, One Poem Only offers a brief, deliberate pause. Hosted by Maggie Devers, this podcast is built on a simple, consistent premise: a single poem, read aloud, without analysis or introduction. It’s an audio space where the words themselves are the event, a performance meant to be absorbed in the few minutes it takes to hear it. The daily rhythm of the show creates a quiet ritual, a point of reflection woven into a busy life. You might hear a classic sonnet, a piece of modern free verse, or a work from a poet you’ve never encountered. The selection is varied, touching on themes from the natural world to the intricacies of human emotion, always leaving room for your own interpretation. The effect is cumulative; listening regularly becomes a subtle form of education in the sound and scope of poetry, and a small act of self-care. This isn't a lecture or a book club, but a performing art delivered directly to your ears. Maggie’s clear, thoughtful readings provide the only framework needed, allowing each poem to stand entirely on its own. The curtain falls, and the moment passes, but the podcast invites you to return tomorrow when a new piece takes center stage, offering another quiet moment, one poem only.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 355

One Poem Only
Podcast Episodes
Sunday Recap & Cold Blood by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:18
Here’s your recap of this week’s poems plus one new poem to carry us into the week ahead.Jun 16 - Midlife Calculus by Britt Kaufmann: @brittwriter on Instagram. Her website: brittkaufmann.com. Her book, Midlife Calculus,…
After I Lost Him by Barbara Ehrentreu [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:17
After I Lost Him Barbara Ehrentreu The sun still shinedThough its rays didn't warm meEncased in my shell of griefMy body felt neither heart not coldOne entire side of me was lostLopsided I stayed indoorsNot attempting to…
Him by Christy Granger [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:45
Him Christy Granger This wasn’t supposed to happenYou were not supposed to happenWhat a special ability you haveI do not trust easilyI do not trust at allI gave up on love years agoIt was not for meThe torture it brought…
She has a new god by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:16
She has a new god Maggie Devers Her god is ecstatic dancingSurrender to the music, feel the beat in your marrow, your feet planted, the earth holds you, spin with her, faster and faster, until all that remains is pure jo…
Pollen Count by Danielle Marie Cahill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:49
Pollen Count Danielle Marie Cahill This poem first appeared in The Quarter(ly).My computer tells me the weatherThere is a high pollen count todayAs if that matters deeply to someoneImprisoned in a glass towerAt night, my…
Swans by Sara Teasdale [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:43
Swans Sara Teasdale 1884 – 1933 Night is over the park, and a few brave stars Look on the lights that link it with chains of gold,The lake bears up their reflection in broken bars That seem to heavy for tremulous water t…
Midlife Calculus by Britt Kaufmann [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:25
Midlife Calculus Britt Kaufmann Edited by Dava Sobel View the poem in Scientific AmericanMore from Britt Kaufmann ↓ @brittwriter on InstagramHer website: brittkaufmann.comHer book, Midlife Calculus, is out now from Press…
Sunday Recap & This can’t be the end of the world by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:58
Here’s your recap of this week’s poems plus one new poem to carry us into the week ahead.Jun 9 - Last Fog at Sunrise by Travers Charron: @the_inkwellian on Threads, Scattering Poem Seeds on Substack. His tanka and haiku…
the body idea by Bree North [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:03
the body idea Bree North I know i am not my bodyBut if i wereI would remember just long enoughFor memory to mean imprintsI would be curious as corneasWhiten with fear like folliclesWired up from the insideDisease could b…
I look for the Holy Fuck in everything I see. by Jo Guzman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:32
I look for the Holy Fuck in everything I see. Jo Guzman —after Courtney LoveI look for the Holy Fuck in everything I see.I wanna whisper Wow, Wow, Wow and have no idea I am even whispering it like a childUntil someone wi…