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

You Are Poetry

Emma-Jane Barlow

I hope you know that you are poetry.

Everything you do is art

and you don't even know it.

The way your eyes glisten

and your whole face beams

with light when you're happy.

The way you sink into the sofa

and hum a little to yourself at

the end of a hard day.

The way you hold the door

open for a stranger and smile,

or the way you speak to animals

when you seem them pass by.

The way you see gift giving

as the most precious way

to know someone and

the time and care you put into it.

The way you stand under

the downpour of water

at the end of your shower,

to feel a rush of gratitude

for simply being alive.

The way you watch the steam

rise when you make a cup of tea

and wonder where it disappears to.

The way you love others with

a fierce yet gentle loyalty,

you always see the best in people,

even when they don't deserve it.

The way you push out your

tongue when you concentrate

and how your fingers dance when

you're nervous or excited.

Even when the poems don't flow,

I want you to know,

that you are poetry.

Never forget

that everything you do

and all that you are

is pure magic.

More from Emma-Jane Barlow ↓

• @emmajanepoetry on Instagram
• @emmajanebarlow on Substack
• Her books, Darkness & Light & Sins & Sunflowers: Second Edition, are out now

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.

Poetry slows us down. Thank you for listening.

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