To Be a Salamander by Rachel Turney | One Poem Only
One Poem Only · Maggie Devers
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Show Notes
One Poem Only is a daily ritual: one poem, center stage, just for now.
To Be a Salamander
Rachel Turney
I want to be like you. I crave your regenerative abilities.
Does the heart count as a limb? If so, I could regrow the
part that is now missing, rebuild sinuous tissues and
the fat of my epicardium.
I want to wallow in the petrichor and muddy places. I
want to glide between the fallen leaves and tadpoles.
My skin would breathe, my lips smell, my world would
be trickling water in this moss forest.
I would darn socks for my four toes. One tiny bit of
wool to cover each one so that I might step with ease
from chilled rock to frozen ground as winter comes.
More from Rachel Turney ↓
- @turneytalks on Instagram
- Rachel Turney on Substack
- Her book, Women Making Soup Together, is out now with Vinegar Press
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.
Feed yourself poetry every day.
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.