The Spark by Maggie Devers

The Spark by Maggie Devers

Author: Maggie Devers May 1, 2025 Duration: 1:59

Asking the age old question, where do we start?

The Spark

by Maggie Devers

I try to think where her story starts.

When I went to my parents' for the weekend
And the Labrador could smell her
And for the first time in her dog life, didn’t jump on me

Or when I met her father
And we kissed on our first date
At the cowboy bar that's burned down twice now,

Or when we named her
And whispered her into my womb
On an island far from here

Or when she jumped awake in Star Wars,
Whatever one was out
The Christmas before she was born

Or when she was born
Or when I first felt her kick
Or when I decided I wanted a daughter
And wondered what she would be like

When was that?

It’s hard to know where to begin
When we’re constantly in the process of beginning.

More from Maggie Devers ↓

  1. Read my debut poetry book, For My Daughter
  2. 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
Podcast Episodes
The Dream by Edna St. Vincent Millay [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:08
The Dream Edna St. Vincent Millay 1892 – 1950 Love, if I weep it will not matter, And if you laugh I shall not care;Foolish am I to think about it, But it is good to feel you there.Love, in my sleep I dreamed of waking,…
We never know how high we are (1176) by Emily Dickinson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:35
We never know how high we are Emily Dickinson 1830 – 1886 We never know how high we are Till we are called to rise;And then, if we are true to plan, Our statures touch the skies—The Heroism we recite Would be a daily thi…
Sunday Recap & Mother by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:50
Here’s your recap of this week’s poems plus one new poem to carry us into the week ahead. May 5 - How often we greet each other with worries by Maggie Devers May 6 - Renewal of Strength by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Ma…
What the Thrush Said by John Keats [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:05
What the Thrush Said John Keats 1795 –1821 O Thou whose face hath felt the Winter’s wind,Whose eye has seen the snow-clouds hung in mist,And the black elm tops ’mong the freezing stars,To thee the spring will be a harves…
Circe by H.D. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:00
Circe H.D. 1886 – 1961 It was easy enoughto bend them to my wish,it was easy enoughto alter them with a touch,but youadrift on the great sea,how shall I call you back?Cedar and white ash,rock-cedar and sand plantsand tam…
Held by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:36
Held Maggie Devers The sweetest meat is closest to the boneThe most tender, the most trueThe tissue there is hardest to reach,To manipulate from the outside.If you squeezed my armHow much bone would you feel?Would the fl…
For My Daughter by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00
For My Daughter by Maggie Devers Chop off my head and put it on your shield.I will protect you until the day I dieAnd all the days after that.You think I would let anything harm the perfection that sprang from my body?Th…
Renewal of Strength by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:52
Renewal of Strength Frances Ellen Watkins Harper 1825 – 1911 The prison-house in which I liveIs falling to decay,But God renews my spirit’s strengthWithin these walls of clay.For me a dimness slowly creepsAround earth’s…
How often we greet each other with worries by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:51
How often we greet each other with worries by Maggie Devers I went to the wilderness to escapeAnd there are worries there too.Caterpillars falling from their treeBefore their chrysalis is completeMy weekend project was t…