Here’s your recap of this week’s poems plus one new poem to carry us into the week ahead.

Oct 27 -  i don't remember being small by Momena Khan @still.in.my.d4afts_ on Instagram.

Oct 28 - What Are We by Laker Patience @laker.p_poet on Instagram. Her poetry anthology, Echoes of Colour, will be out soon.

Oct 29 - Green Soup by Tabitha Dial @TabithaDial on Instagram. Her book, Cheese Astrology: A Weekly Guide, is out now. Listen to me read Apparition Appetizers by Tabitha on Instagram @rembrandts.cure.

Oct 30 - The Spider by Philippe Blenkiron

Oct 31 - Coffin monologue: The non-rhyming rant poem by Manasvita Sukthankar @manasvita._ on Instagram.

Nov 1 - "I would peel pomegranates for you—" by Hareem Ismail @wordssmith_ on Instagram.

Nov 2

Forty-Three Is Poetry

Maggie Devers

After @motheatencurtain

Twenty-four is driving without a steering wheel

Moving at a clip

Bumping into all that enchants you until you fall out a window

Literally.

And you find

it necessary

to relearn

how to

climb

stairs.

You are empty,

But thirty is flirting with the one you love,

Obsessing deeper into everything you seek.

Thirty-five is big and round and swollen

And you are full of life,

Not metaphorically,

Though that would be simpler.

Your dreams are tangible

And you learn how to feel them.

That’s forty-three:

When poetry comes into focus

And you write all you want.

It’s yours.

More from Maggie Devers ↓

• Read my debut poetry book, For My Daughter
• 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