Sunday Recap & Through the Sound by Maggie Devers

Sunday Recap & Through the Sound by Maggie Devers

Author: Maggie Devers February 1, 2026 Duration: 12:02

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

Jan 26 - Born of Ashes by Goldilocks @goldenprisonpoetry on Instagram.

Jan 27 - The Mythical Hero of Legend has Clinical Depression by Oscar W Isaacs @oscarwritesaacs on Instagram.

Jan 28 - Cheap Therapy Cheat Sheet by Tanja Lau @tanias.butterflies on Instagram. Tania's Butterflies on Substack. Listen to me read Rumors by Tanja on Instagram @rembrandts.cure

Jan 29 - The Grief that Grips Our World by Raquel Dionísio Abrantes @poets_desk on Instagram.

Jan 30 - Without The Noise by Dipanwita Dey @iamdipanwitadey on Instagram.

Jan 31 - Chai and Chrysanthemum by Mahnoor Rehan @smearedwithcrimson on Instagram.

Feb 1

Through the Sound

Maggie Devers

How much longer will we keep up the farce
How much longer will the charade last?
We thrive onscreen with tricks of light and sound

Our entire world–galaxy–is cut off from the rest of the universe
We fill this void by lashing out
By forgetting why we're here
By rushing through the good parts
And replaying the bad ones

The things they promised would never happen
Now occur at such a frequency,
There is no time to parse their sounds
The morning birdsong is immense and unwavering
A reminder not to close your ears

A reminder that the small and weak are us,
As are the brutes
We only have to look them in the eyes to know–
One day we will die.

Familiar things become deranged
There is a part of us that remembers these horrors
Because we’ve seen them before
In the hours we wait for understanding

The smell of a familiar stuffed bear
Of pancakes on the griddle
Rosemary scented palms, sticky with the smelling

Where do pain and fear live?
In the small quiet corners of our body
Where they try not to cry,
Where they bite their lip
Look deep into the middle distance
And imagine they are safe.

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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