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About this Episode
One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise.
Reduced
Rosalind Davies
Easy winter option, ideal for layering over your favourite outfits,
regular fit, timeless crew neckline.
The glory of a full-price item
Chosen in the hot bloom of the season
My size, my length.
I take time to choose, plan ahead, create,
Build a look, an image, or someone else’s,
The one I want to lay on me,
The one that speaks loud what I want it to say.
A gift card redeems me and I walk, like a cat, away.
Long sleeves feature subtle fluting at the cuffs for a stylish finish,
a staple for your occasion wardrobe.
Not every occasion has a desirable, describable outfit.
January watches and waits to launch and throw
Its missile attacks on a cratered high street
And I remember the decorum of the time before.
Arms reach and grab.
The crunch of hangers underfoot.
A cruel mixture of trousers and skirts, fighting colours, jumble sale,
Disordered sizes, lying labels, sale stickers skewering helpless synthetics.
I feel the loss.
Rubbing between finger and thumb the fading image of careless success,
I mourn the season of choice and purchase, the easy accumulation,
the beautiful utility of seamless day-to-night.
Boutique has become bric-a-brac.
I battle, eyes sharp for rivals, at the end of line.
Cropped length with belt to cinch you in
sharp, refined silhouette, a contemporary tailored cut.
More from Rosalind Davies ↓
- @rosssie.d on Instagram
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If you’d like to support the show, Substack and Patreon members receive a copy of my book, For My Daughter, along with episodes from the audiobook.
Poetry sustains. Thank you for supporting the podcast.
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.
Hosts & Guests
Transcript
