One Poem Only is a daily ritual: one poem, center stage, just for now.

CAUTION: STUDENT DRIVER

Carly Thompson

I’ve jumped out of the boat

the churning water turns to smoke

my mind is a black sand beach

the world is one of those where time is different

slow, fast, all at once, almost never

if a window doesn’t open, is it a wall?

is it even there?

the cows die all at once and we don’t ask why

we buy sheep instead, not for milk for wool

it is not enough to be called sad and beautiful

remarkable or terrifying

it is not enough to pick up the phone

to text back, to cry on cue

I hover over that plane where one highway

meets another, no one ever taught me to merge

More from Carly Thompson ↓

• @comehither_poetry on Instagram
• @comehither on Substack

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Write After 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. If you want to join: Listen to a poem from the month of April on One Poem Only, then write your own in response. I will pick one for each day to read in June for a special series: One Poem After 🍎🍏 Submissions close May 15.

Write After Submissions Form