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

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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.