January Born by JC

January Born by JC

Author: Maggie Devers January 2, 2026 Duration: 2:14

January Born

JC

I was winter’s child,
wrapped in borrowed wool,
breath small as frost on windowpanes.
The world outside was brittle then,
trees bare-boned against
a sky that never learned warmth,
roads lined with grit and quiet.
Inside, there was laughter,
steam from mugs that fogged
the kitchen glass,
a lullaby of radiators clanking
as if they too
were proud to keep me alive.
January taught me patience—
that buds sleep long before they bloom,
that light returns in rationed teaspoons,
that beginnings aren’t always bright,
but they are strong.
And so when I look back,
I see my first days threaded with cold,
yet stitched with care,
a child born not to fireworks,
but to the hush of snow,
the steady hands of a year
just learning how to start again.

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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
The Spider by Philippe Blenkiron [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Duration: 3:13
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Garden of Eden Yonsiri Rojas lulling sunbeam through the boughssoothing ballad of a plum-haired dollhazy notes of pure joyher naked feet wet in fresh springicy water against bare sweet skina dim lonely shadow dancing to…
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Duration: 2:18
Bills for Bills of Bills for Bills Charlotte Stuart They hand me bills for bills of bills for bills,Stacked like bricks in window sills. Pay what you owe, then pay what comes.A tangled song the system hums:A doctor’s bil…
Seventh Wonder by Joba the Poète [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:45
Seventh Wonder Joba the Poète Seven wonders of the worldyet I trip like the leaning tower of Pisawhen you sing out my namewith a nine minus two, or rather still,six plus one,the seventh scale of the seventh chordyou love…
"If love were a predator," by McKenzie Hager [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:31
If love were a predator,I’d let it hunt me down.While it prowled,I’d shuffle the leavesjust enough to be heard.I’d welcome the weightof its body against mine.And when it struck,I’d go down smiling—Let it take me.Let it t…
Keeping It This Way by Swan Melloh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:21
Keeping It This Way Swan Melloh I am not your propertyI rather tell myself than youwho wears oblivion for shoes,walks without a knowing heart.I suppose it´s easierto leave you there without a clue,words unspoken in their…