Swan Dive by Maia von Maltzahn | One Poem Only

Swan Dive by Maia von Maltzahn | One Poem Only

Author: Maggie Devers March 17, 2026 Duration: 1:01

One Poem Only is a daily ritual: one poem, center stage, just for now.

Swan Dive by Maia von Maltzahn

Maia von Maltzahn

It’s the kind of hot
afternoon in August
where the sun cracks
your mouth open
so you can take
a big gulp of
life

Chin tucked
wind-up lanky-limbs
bare browned
shoulders hum
in the heat
running warm
wooden dock
beneath your feet, step
one, two, and

Leap…

gravity
greets
you

like a pinky-promise
in the lake
water answers
with a laughing splash

you elegant creature
here, you belong.

More from Maia von Maltzahn ↓

  1. @maiaelizabethwrites on Instagram

Support + Stay Connected to OPO

If you’d like to support the show, Substack and Patreon members receive a copy of my book, For My Daughter, along with episodes from the audiobook.

Feed yourself poetry every day.


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: 100

One Poem Only
Podcast Episodes
All I Have by Rachel Turney after Avalon | One Poem After [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:36
One Poem Only is a daily ritual: one poem, center stage, just for now. This month, One Poem Only presents One Poem After, featuring selected poems written in response to the poems shared during National Poetry Month. Eac…
Bones by Toni Young after Ella B. Winters | One Poem After [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:18
One Poem Only is a daily ritual: one poem, center stage, just for now.BonesToni Youngafter Ella B. Wintersit doesn’t take much to see through skin, through blood, through bones i’ve etched poems in each rib this cage can…
Taco Bell under a Full Moon by Kris Aziz after GiGi | One Poem After [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:08
One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise. Taco Bell under a Full Moon /Kris Aziz after GiGi /Dedicated to Beca /We are looking at the moonTh…
YOLO by Maggie Devers & Weekly Poetry Recap | One Poem More [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:09
One Poem More gathers all of this week’s poems from One Poem Only—an unhurried chance to listen again, or catch what you missed.This week’s poemsLife Is The Backside of Embroidery by Aasfa SiddiquiUnnamed Season by Jules…
Sparrowfall by Arch Budzar | One Poem Only [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:48
One Poem Only is a daily ritual: one poem, center stage, just for now.SparrowfallArch BudzarWhile maybe I wasn’t the smartestOr the strongestI never thought unkindly of youAnd Ialways sang my songAnd ISaw you as an angel…
Rash by Viviana Abnur | One Poem Only [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:55
One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise.RashViviana AbnurEverything I know about deathI learned the hard waywhen I saw you go by on the str…