Playground by David Park

Playground by David Park

Author: Maggie Devers September 2, 2025 Duration: 2:47

Playground

David Park

In the spheres the playgrounds
are alive!
Excitement pours forth in laughter and tears.
What’s now and what’s next
is felt as the vibrations ripple through the air.
Rising up through the trees to echo down the fading memory of childhood.
In our time, this ever achingly brief blink, as of a child’s tear filled eye,
we kneel to honor these moments.
To honor the child, the Mother and
the Father.
We, in our capacity to hold open our hearts, call forth blessings not bestowed on us.
The singularity of eternity expands in the presence of our presence. Fear and sadness let loose, anger and pain softened.
We rise to our next kneeling. Holding fast and fleetingly to unheard hymns.
To the faintness of spirit gesturing us on towards sleep.
We soften.
We drink from the deep waters of our resiliency that is finding its way into parts of our healing.
And, we sleep and dream in the spheres of our own playground.
In the echoes of laughter

More from David Park ↓

  • This poem is inspired by David’s years at Play Mountain Place, where children are free to learn

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
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Happiness Navya Chaudhary If you are out there chasing happiness,Then I want you to remember this.If you're chasing it,It's definitely not yours.Happiness is not somewhere out there,It's hidden in those small moments aro…
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part oracle, part warrior Aslam a crescent moon, hangs like a scaron her shoulder’s silence.her lips sealedby vow or violence.her eyes do not ask.they know.they have watched empires bleedon blades of their own lies.she s…
On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs by Renée Nicole Good [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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On Learning to Dissect Fetal PigsRenée Nicole GoodThis poem was awarded the Academy of American Poets Prize in 2020.i want back my rocking chairs,solipsist sunsets,& coastal jungle sounds that are tercets from cicadas an…
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Sunday Recap & Crawl Space by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:56
Here’s your recap of this week’s poems plus one new poem to carry us into the week ahead.Dec 29 - Eclipse of the Self by Ruvaani @ruvaani.unclaimed on Instagram. Her book, The Sunken Daffodil, is out now.Dec 30 - Cold Pl…