One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise.

Last Year

Samah Ayesha

i spent the better half of last year

staring at the ceiling,

watching it bend more crooked

the longer i looked.

but it wasn't just the ceiling

it was the walls, the floor,

maybe my footing,

maybe my mind

from being indoors too long.

each time i completed ablution,

each time i laid down my mat to pray,

it seemed off too.

i checked the compass,

adjusted,

checked again

but the mat wouldn't straighten.

or was it my footing?

i wasted the better half of last year

trying to stop walking in circles.

or was it a triangle?

the doorways.

the roof.

all of them slanted.

and i'm still not sure

if i ever fixed the mat

or just learned to pray at an angle.

More from Samah Ayesha ↓

1. @samah.ayesha on Instagram

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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.

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