Episode 278

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Published on:

2nd Feb 2026

Light by Shannon West

Light

Shannon West

I’m afraid of the dark and so is he
We hold each other close and drift off into dreams
The closet light is on - just how we like it
Light spills from beneath the door bathing the room in its warmth
The basement, being alone, silence, death - belong to the dark
The kitchen table, love, togetherness, life - belong to the light
Kindred spirits safe in our nest
We don’t need to fear the shadows
We can see them as well as they can see us
The irony is not lost on me that when we are most at peace, we close our eyes
Embracing the darkness
I am empathetic
Because I still fear the dark
Maybe moms aren’t supposed to admit that
I don’t think it’s a weakness
It just is
But what a privilege it is
To be his light now

More from Shannon West ↓

  1. @shannonswriting on Instagram

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

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About the Podcast

One Poem Only
I'm Maggie Devers, and each day I'll read you a poem-nothing more, nothing less. No analysis, no noise-just a little space to listen.
A daily reading. A quiet moment. One poem, center stage: just for now, just for you. A one-night-only show, in verse.

Come back tomorrow. The curtain rises again.
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Maggie Devers