Wednesdays on One Poem Only are a double feature: one poem here on the podcast, and one more by the same poet shared on Instagram.

The -ness of things

Sanjeevani

Sadness

incurable. Hopelessness, hold on—

brink of collapse—

unstable ecosystems, volatile geopolitics,

anthropological coldness.

Kindness—

let the spider live.

Closeness—

us two, are we corrupt too?

A likeness—

before the doom, a thought of you

nearly smothers me in blue.

Fondness—

find me after the apocalypse,

remember, black holes decay—

oneness.

Madness—

this world and I,

an intrinsic brokenness.

Wilderness—

A state of being.

I lose, and I lose

in this cruel forest.

Lightness, take me in.

My -ness floats through. Premature nights and abandoned homes.

My -ness sinks. Untouched ocean beds and fossils of creatures

veiled by archaeological secrecy. My -ness feels.

More from Sanjeevani ↓

1. @sanjpoems on Instagram

Watch the Second Poem

You can watch and listen to Deer killers and Careless Lovers by Sanjeevani as part of our Wednesday double feature on Instagram at @rembrandts.cure.

Support + Stay Connected to OPO

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.

Two poems. One poet. Let the words keep moving.

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