Sunday Recap & Burn the Flag by Maggie Devers

Sunday Recap & Burn the Flag by Maggie Devers

Author: Maggie Devers January 25, 2026 Duration: 9:07

Here’s your recap of this week’s poems plus one new poem to carry us into the week ahead.

Jan 19 - Chasing the Light by Old Fart with a Guitar @old_fart_with_a_guitar on Instagram. Stream his music: OFWAG LinkTree.

Jan 20 - A Merciless Winter by Farida Shamim

Jan 21 - Don't call it hope or you'll scare it away by Candace Kronen rom Candace Kronen @candacekronenpoetry on Instagram. Her Substack: Stories I'll Tell My Daughter. She is co-editor and publisher of If You Ever: Poems Inspired by Kim Addonizio. Listen to me read, When I can’t sleep, I Google how the world ends. by Candace on Instagram at @rembrandts.cure.

Jan 22 - Shimmer by Jessie Marie @Jessie.Kaiser on Instagram and Threads.

Jan 23 - “Hope isn't a shy thing” by Eileen Strawberry @Soulsounds20 on Instagram. Wayward Traveller on Substack. Her poetry appears in Beautiful Ways to Say edited by Katie Elizabeth.

Jan 24 - Same Old Story by Amelia Cabantog @meels_the_poet on Instagram.

Jan 25

Burn the Flag

Maggie Devers

Burn all the flags
Strew the tea in the harbor
Fill the kettle or the pot
Pour it out, drink it down
Divine the future

Free from false idols
Free from men who say
There is no future in the leaves,
That all we can hope for in the saucer
Is bitter grit in our teeth

But they don't know that ash is soft
Between our fingers
We paint our bodies
To become one with the dust
With the end
And the beginning

More from Maggie Devers ↓

  1. My debut poetry collection, For My Daughter, available as an audiobook.
  2. Purchase a signed copy of For My Daughter or get one free by subscribing to the podcast: One Poem Only on Patreon
  3. Follow me on Instagram for more poetry @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
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