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

no place like home

Abhilasha Ghosh

coming back feels different—

as if the walls have softened

while you were gone,

as if the light has rehearsed

the exact way it will fall on your face

when you step inside.

you notice small things first:

the old curtain breathing in the breeze,

the smell of evening settling on the floor,

the faint echo of who you used to be

still lingering in the corners

like a loyal ghost.

distance does this—

carves out space in your chest

so the familiar can return

with a strange, tender sharpness.

a house you once rushed through

becomes a sanctuary

the moment you walk away from it.

and standing at the threshold now,

red shoes dusty from everywhere else,

you feel that quiet click inside—

recognition, surrender, belonging.

dorothy’s words arrive softly in red shoes,

“there’s no place like home.”

More from Abhilasha Ghosh ↓

1. @booksandbillis on Instagram

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Poetry slows us down. Thank you for listening.

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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.

#WriteAfterOPO