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

Feb 2 Light by Shannon West @shannonswriting on Instagram.

Feb 3 The Cloak of Quiet Light by Dorothy Howls @thehumanspell on Instagram.

Feb 4 Dreams by Cecilia Knight @ceciliaknightpoems on Instagram. Her book, The Burning Pages, is available now. Listen to me read Treasures by Cecilia on Instagram @rembrandts.cure.

Feb 5 On My Own by Srishti Jain @thesocialsaunter on Instagram.

Feb 6 glass half by Michaela Godding @michaelagodding on Instagram. Her book, The Year Our Grandmothers Died, is available now.

Feb 7 Magnetism by Emma Lazarus

Feb 8

All the Words for Blue

Maggie Devers

I press pencils between my toes

To loosen the webbing holding me together

You must breathe into the pressure, diaphragmatically

The way that word rolls out, just like that, diaphragmatically

Mine is weak from holding my breath all my life

I forgot how to open my back and make room for air

I forgot how to expand

But I’m learning

On the exhale, I imagine smog spewing out my nose

I feel fresh like LA after the rain

With the sky that perfect blue,

Azzurro, they call it in Italian

Of course a country of painters has a bounty

Of words for blue

Blu, celeste, turchino

True blue, baby blue, sea blue

Azzurro

To hold an understanding of color,

To know the truth of blue

Helps me breathe

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