Shownotes
One Poem Only is a daily ritual: one poem, center stage, just for now.
Only Sleeping
Jo Guzman
The flavor of “Fuck you” smacked across my lips when I woke
Not so much in anger
More like calm clarity
I touched my heart with my right hand
The one that used to pledge allegiance to many things
I believed the stories for so long
The ones about love and heroes and good
Until I realized the truth often died with those mortally silenced because the empire said so
My hand and my heart set about their work
Counter clockwise circles
Unravelling layers of grief and shame and anger
No wonder there was so much pressure
And then I felt the flicker
That little flame
The one that never extinguished no matter what
No matter what form of fear held me by the throat until I almost stopped caring about my own breath
Almost
Almost
Little did I know that the dragon was only sleeping
Deep in my heart
The nearly obscene pressure a message from my body
Wake up
There is no hiding
No more, none
It’s fire season, you know
Aries
Rising, rising, rising
Burn it down
Fire purifies
My heart on my hand stopped
As I realized the gift…
Rest
Do it now
For the battle is coming
And God needs her best soldiers ready
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One Poem Only submissions are open.
I’m filling the next chapter of One Poem Only and would love to include your work. Send me the poem you wrote and want the world to hear. New this round: if you’d like to read your own poem on the podcast, you can. No need for a perfect studio recording—just a clear audio file recorded in a quiet space. If you choose this option, you’ll submit your poem and an audio file of you reading it. Submissions close Thursday, July 30. I’ll respond by August 12. Whether I read your poem or you read it yourself, I’d love to hear what you’re ready to share.
