She’s got a handle on it by Maggie Devers

She’s got a handle on it by Maggie Devers

Author: Maggie Devers July 3, 2025 Duration: 1:42

She’s got a handle on it

Maggie Devers

She won’t let me clean the dirt from under her nails
She holds onto it as a matter of distinction,
An indication of her interests.

The grey, opaque polish covers it completely
But not the pink sparkles.
Both will degrade equally
To reveal the dark line still in place,
But this will take a day or two.

Now it’s time for bed
Sleep well, I tell her
Her response,
I will!
Rings of with the certainty
Of fresh nails.

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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
History in Art by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:56
History in Art Maggie Devers My husband tells me I have a twentieth century assAnd that’s a type of poem.Rubens put touches of red on his angels' rears,Literally rogue on cheeksAnd I feel that’s what this world is missin…
“Tell me…” a poem by Margaux Paul [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:39
"TELL ME, WHAT IS IT YOU PLAN TO DO WITH YOUR ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE?"-Mary Oliver I plan on washing my sheets, cooking pasta, and cleaning broken glass off the kitchen floor quickly lest it cut up any little feet. I…
A Jelly-Fish by Marianne Moore [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:38
A Jelly-Fish Marianne Moore 1887 – 1972 Visible, invisible,A fluctuating charm,An amber-colored amethystInhabits it; your armApproaches, andIt opens andIt closes;You have meantTo catch it,And it shrivels;You abandonYour…
Last Fog at Sunrise by Travers Charron [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:30
Last Fog at Sunrise Travers Charron If life stretched on forever,would we still kneel in the wild mintjust to listen to the wind?It’s the fire burning lowthat draws us near.The song, fadingthat makes us sing.The morning…
Sunday Recap & Spin the Weekend by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:24
Here’s your recap of this week’s poems plus one new poem to carry us into the week ahead.Jun 2 - cream soda by Stephanie Valente, Portals on Substack, @stephanie.maria.valente on Instagram; her book, Internet Girlfriend,…
Goodnight, Yesterday by Nichole Johnson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:52
Goodnight, Yesterday Nichole Johnson I thoughtMy heart might die loudly–Thunder cracking,LighteningGrinding stone to sand.But–It is quiet.It withersIn my ribcage,Like a heavy fog–The last breathOf midnightSoftly tiptoein…
I open a book by Joanne Witzkowski [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:45
I open a book.One brittle flower falls,Shudders into dust.No flicker of flameCould be as beautifuland as burningand as briefAs the memoriesthat perfumed powderevokes.- Joanne WitzkowskiMore from Joanne Witzkowski ↓@a.wa…
Because that is all it is. by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:27
Because that is all it is. Maggie Devers I want to know your process So I can make it with youThe way you sketch until your nails are packed with graphite And your warm hands smell of wood shavings and masking tapeI coul…
Honey by Debbie Radford [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:06
Honey Debbie Radford Honey pools in the dip of my waist.It flows like warm sunlight down my thighs.Every curve a golden river, every step a supple pour.Like a honeycomb, my body is textured and endless, mailable like bee…
Lines Written At Thorp Green by Anne Brontë [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:18
Lines Written At Thorp Green Anne Brontë 1820 – 1849 That summer sun, whose genial glow Now cheers my drooping spirit so Must cold and distant be, And only light our northern clime With feeble ray, before the time I long…