In the Hot Spring Locker Room by Haley DiRenzo | One Poem Only

In the Hot Spring Locker Room by Haley DiRenzo | One Poem Only

Author: Maggie Devers May 16, 2026 Duration: 1:23

One Poem Only is a daily ritual: one poem, center stage, just for now.

In the Hot Spring Locker Room

Haley DiRenzo

I saw naked women scrubbing salted
skin as my mother ushered me
past. Eyes lingered on bodies raw
and round. Breasts dangling, bellies
drooping. Sketched scars and stretch
marks painted in different shades.
Clay earth, bruised sky, blue vein.
My own body was a girl’s then.
Still, I’d graduated from running
naked through my home to needing
to hide myself. I barely remembered
the bloom of my own mother’s
breast that fed me. She too
now dressed behind closed doors
unable to know or to teach
being seen without sex or shame
or desire. Even now in a locker room
I cover quickly, but long to be
these women. Limbs sloughed
pink after sinking heavy
into a hot spring. I can hear
their breathy sighs as water carves
rivers over curves. Their soft whispers
saying simply—yes.

More from Haley DiRenzo ↓


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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: 100

One Poem Only
Podcast Episodes
Unlearning Perfection by Mya Noelani | One Poem Only [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:56
One Poem Only is a daily ritual: one poem, center stage, just for now.Unlearning PerfectionMya NoelaniI took up the task of unlearning perfectionBecause what is perfect anyway?Besides of bunch of standards we try to main…
You Are Poetry by Emma-Jane Barlow | One Poem Only [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:59
One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise. You Are PoetryEmma-Jane BarlowI hope you know that you are poetry.Everything you do is artand you…
Only Sleeping by Jo Guzman | One Poem Only [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:14
One Poem Only is a daily ritual: one poem, center stage, just for now.Only SleepingJo GuzmanThe flavor of “Fuck you” smacked across my lips when I wokeNot so much in angerMore like calm clarityI touched my heart with my…
Lot: Vacant, Not by Danielle Eleanor Lavalle | One Poem Only [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:41
One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise.Lot: Vacant, NotDanielle Eleanor LavalleLet me pick you a bouquet,cracked-asphalt-flowers — who do…
Then maybe it would mean something by E E Nisbet | One Poem Only [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:31
A daily reading from One Poem Only—a quiet space for a single poem, read aloud.Then maybe it would mean somethingE E NisbetThen maybe it would mean something:If your sorry could un-scream,vacuum spit-sprayed particles,su…
Melancholy Ink by Dita Indradi | One Poem Only [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:53
One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise.Melancholy InkDita IndradiSadness learned my namebefore I learned how to answer.It waitsbehind my t…
Untamed by Toni Young | One Poem Only [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:57
One Poem Only is a daily ritual: one poem, center stage, just for now.UntamedToni YoungMy hair is a cascadeof the most unruly waves.I’ve flattened her with a straightener,but she identifies as unbridled.I’ve loaded her w…
What We Don’t Put Away by Nicole Shepherd | One Poem Only [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29
One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise. What We Don’t Put AwayNicole ShepherdIt’s mid-April,and the Christmas tree is still up.I’ve stoppe…
Amalgamation by Sophia James | One Poem Only [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:40
One Poem Only is a daily ritual: one poem, center stage, just for now.AmalgamationSophia JamesI walk to the top of the hill,The Sheffield hillThat made my accent broadMy legs - wide and sturdy,And my body - strong.The sa…