Episodes

  • Sunday Recap & Burn the Flag by Maggie Devers

    Sunday Recap & Burn the Flag by Maggie Devers
    Jan 25 2026
    Here’s your recap of this week’s poems plus one new poem to carry us into the week ahead.Jan 19 - Chasing the Light by Old Fart with a Guitar @old_fart_with_a_guitar on Instagram. Stream his music: OFWAG LinkTree.Jan 20 - A Merciless Winter by Farida Shamim Jan 21 - Don't call it hope or you'll scare it away by Candace Kronen rom Candace Kronen @candacekronenpoetry on Instagram. Her Substack: Stories I'll Tell My Daughter. She is co-editor and publisher of If You Ever: Poems Inspired by Kim Addonizio. Listen to me read, When I can’t sleep, I Google how the world ends. by Candace on Instagram at @rembrandts.cure.Jan 22 - Shimmer by Jessie Marie @Jessie.Kaiser on Instagram and Threads.Jan 23 - “Hope isn't a shy thing” by Eileen Strawberry @Soulsounds20 on Instagram. Wayward Traveller on Substack. Her poetry appears in Beautiful Ways to Say edited by Katie Elizabeth.Jan 24 - Same Old Story by Amelia Cabantog @meels_the_poet on Instagram.Jan 25Burn the FlagMaggie DeversBurn all the flagsStrew the tea in the harborFill the kettle or the potPour it out, drink it downDivine the futureFree from false idolsFree from men who sayThere is no future in the leaves,That all we can hope for in the saucerIs bitter grit in our teethBut they don't know that ash is softBetween our...
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    9 mins
  • Same Old Story by Amelia Cabantog

    Same Old Story by Amelia Cabantog
    Jan 24 2026
    Same Old Story Amelia Cabantog Everyday the news replays the same old stories. So, and so, diedSo, and, so was deported So, and, so's rights are being taken away. Meanwhile a mother is crying because her baby is slowly dying And a brother is screaming because he doesn't know how to cope with all of his feelings And a girl is lying broken, in a bed she did not make. The people outside are screaming and shouting, and crying and bleeding on the streets, But they remain unseen, and unheard. They're fighting for rights that we've already had to fight for before And history is repeating itself in the ugliest way. Somehow, the sun is still shining even on the darkest days, And the girl is still smiling, even on her darkest nights. She goes out and protests,And screams “No kings,” But within she's screaming so much more. “Get rid of ICE!”“Hands off of women's bodies and reproductive systems.” “LGBTQIA people exist and always will.” She wishes she could change the world, She wishes that someone could hear her voice. But she is always drowned out by the crowd. So, she holds her breath, listening to the mother crying over her baby who's bleeding out on the streets. And the brother screaming about all of his pent up feelings, And the protesters yelling, And the news playing over and over again. And at the end of the day she is still lying broken, in a bed she never wanted anyway. She's hoping one day someone will listen to her, And one day she will have changed the world. She's hoping one day she won't have to fight for her rights, And that the rest of the world will wake up and see the damage that is being done, And the people who are being killed, And all of the rights being taken away, not just their own. She wants the world to love each other and be kinder to each other, So, no one else has to listen to a mother crying because her baby was killed by a cop, Or a brother screaming because people keep invalidating his feelings of hatred towards himself, She doesn't want any other girl, or guy, or nonbinary, or genderfluid, to be lying in the same bed. That none of them made or even wanted to sleep in.

    More from Amelia Cabantog ↓

    1. @meels_the_poet on Instagram

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    3 mins
  • “Hope isn't a shy thing” by Eileen Strawberry

    “Hope isn't a shy thing” by Eileen Strawberry
    Jan 23 2026
    “Hope isn't a shy thing”Eileen StrawberryHope isn't a shy thingShe has white knucklesand spits gritWhen oppressors beat down on her shouldersShe draws her sword swiftlyNo hesitationNo deliberationShe will slay dragonsfor her kinHope isn't a pretty thingScars mar her complexionShe's missing some teethDirt crusts under her nailsCalluses roughen her feetYet her vision is clearHer heartbeat steadyCourage courses her veinsConviction deepens her voicein times of chaos and confusionHer truth shears through the noise

    More from Eileen Strawberry ↓

    1. @Soulsounds20 on Instagram
    2. Wayward Traveller on Substack
    3. Her poetry appears in Beautiful Ways to Say edited by Katie Elizabeth

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Join the mailing list to be the first to know when OPO submissions open ⬇️

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    2 mins
  • Shimmer by Jessie Marie

    Shimmer by Jessie Marie
    Jan 22 2026
    Shimmer Jessie Marie my shimmering heart draped in tearsdrums a song behind a thorny cageghosts dressed in moonlight wail against the inky black of nightsorrow is stitched into their eyes an echo of dreams heard on the windI restore myself in the light of the starsa spotlight of hope drinks me upsuch a dream of being whole again

    More from Jessie Marie ↓

    1. @Jessie.Kaiser on Instagram and Threads

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    1 min
  • Don't call it hope or you'll scare it away by Candace Kronen

    Don't call it hope or you'll scare it away by Candace Kronen
    Jan 21 2026
    Don't call it hope or you'll scare it awayCandace KronenCall it window or thread or undone button, call it plump lipsand the slip of a sound, open palm with a single split seedwhispers of paw prints in a blanket of snow, baby hairsand broccoli sprouts, call it half hug of a parenthesis,handprint in the cave, defiant little fiddleheadpushing through the dirt, call it a clearingof the throat, first stroke of a bow, call itAsha call it Violet call it Chekhov’ssmoking gun, call it Holmesianpipe with a fresh tobacco tin,pink streak of aurorasquinting through theclouds, call it leavingspace for a casualcosmic mystery,call it, just call itand don’t closethe door.

    More from Candace Kronen ↓

    1. @candacekronenpoetry on Instagram
    2. Her Substack: Stories I'll Tell My Daughter
    3. She is co-editor and publisher of If You Ever: Poems Inspired by Kim Addonizio
    4. Listen to me read, When I can’t sleep, I Google how the world ends. by Candace on Instagram at @rembrandts.cure

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Join the mailing list to be the first to know when OPO submissions open ⬇️

    🖋️ Read My Newsletter: Free Flow 🖋️
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    2 mins
  • A Merciless Winter by Farida Shamim

    A Merciless Winter by Farida Shamim
    Jan 20 2026
    A Merciless Winter Farida Shamim How cruel you are, Winter —couldn’t you wait a little longer?Why didn’t you waituntil the children fell asleep,their dreams unbroken,their bellies not empty?My little ones lie down hungry,and now —how could I cover them,how could I protect themfrom your harsh, merciless air?Can’t you see —we can no longer see tomorrowwe can’t even weep.Our tears have turned to salt,our hearts to smoke.Can’t you feelthe pain we endure?Couldn’t you waituntil the sun of faith rose againto touch the facesthat still believe in warmth?How cruel you are, Winter —to come when we are already cold.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Join the mailing list to be the first to know when OPO submissions open ⬇️

    🖋️ Read My Newsletter: Free Flow 🖋️
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    2 mins
  • Chasing the Light by Old Fart with a Guitar

    Chasing the Light by Old Fart with a Guitar
    Jan 19 2026
    Chasing the Light Old Fart with a Guitar With all the bad news and all the bad vibes And the battle lines drawn between the tribes, I was lathered up, hosed down, spun around and hung out to dry. Still, life goes on at 60 years an hour And I wondered if I’d wasted my time, Cause there was so much sorrow I was running out of tears to cry… Til one day a small stone thrown by a small fry Up n hit a giant right between the eyes, He was too tall, the big fall cut him down to regular size And when he hit the ground the whole world was lifted by The vision he was blocking from sight It was a double barreled rainbow Following an angel in flight And there’s big yellow sunrise spreading out across the horizon, I’m gonna try and hitch a ride when that heavenly engine ignites So if you see me on the roadside please don’t worry If I’m standing with my thumb to the sky I’m not running from the darkness, I’m just chasing the light. I’m done pouring time into a bucket of holes I’m done casting shadows of doubt on my soul Gotta change my position, start fishing with a different pole Cause life keeps going at 60 years an hour But if I catch it by the end of the road I’ll find that double barreled rainbow Shining on a mountain of gold And there’s a big red sunset spreading out across the horizon I’m gonna follow it and see if it really is a sailor’s delight So if you see me from shoreline please don’t worry If I’m waving as I sink out of sight I’m not falling over the edge I’m just chasing the light I’m not falling over the edge I’m just chasing the light…

    More from Old Fart with a Guitar ↓

    1. @old_fart_with_a_guitar on Instagram
    2. Stream his music: OFWAG LinkTree

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Join the mailing list to be the first to know when OPO submissions open ⬇️

    🖋️ Read My Newsletter: Free Flow 🖋️
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    3 mins
  • Sunday Recap & One More Step by Maggie Devers

    Sunday Recap & One More Step by Maggie Devers
    Jan 18 2026

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

    Jan 12 - Happiness by Navya Chaudhary @chaoticconfessor on Instagram. Her book, Unfinished Letters, is out now.

    Jan 13 - I Promise by Riley Hope McPheters @rileyhmcpheters on Instagram. She is a member of @PoetzPortalFW, that exists to awaken consciousness and cultivate liberated creative practice through the transformative power of poetry, sound, and communal dialogue.

    Jan 14 - Aloof by Luwa @luwawrites on Instagram. You can listen and watch me read Beauty Allures by Luwa on Instagram @rembrandts.cure.

    Jan 15 - Rooted by Shaq Mendes @shackahh_wackahh on Instagram.

    Jan 16 - The Season of Returning by Lara @itslarawrites on Instagram.

    Jan 17 - The Anatomy of Dawn by Saleha Najeeb @gotta_slayyyy on Instagram. Her book, Whispers Unveiled, is available now.

    Jan 18

    One More StepMaggie DeversI’m worried you might be missing itI’m worried you might be living through it all and not really living itI’m worried you can’t smell itI’m worried you don’t pull it close and smother yourself
    Will you remember how she always smelled of milk?And the way her cry would squeak early in the morning?Or how she first said daddyAnd then her own nameHow she needed us for everything and then one dayDidn’t.
    I thought I’d be better prepared,That we could mark it on the calendar and celebrateBut it snuck up on me—She learned to dress herself,Feed herself,Pick up after herselfAnd I forgot what I was here to teach herAnd started learning what I was here to teach myselfWe hold on to the parts that we think come firstBut the order doesn’t go how we imagineTime is tricky—The hand that pulls you forward isn’t always your own.

    More from Maggie Devers ↓

    1. My debut poetry collection, For My Daughter, available as an audiobook.
    2. Purchase a signed copy of
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    10 mins