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