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

adulthood

Carlee Wilson

gone are the days where my ceiling

twinkled with plastic magic

and the only house i worried about was barbie’s.

it didn’t matter if ken came home or not,

didn’t matter if stacie’s car had a flat

or if joe’s deployment was extended.

boy, i’d kill for a mud pie right now,

full of everything we’ve been taught to avoid,

devoid of everything we’ve been taught matters.

i wish i could sit on the playground swing

and twist the clinking chains around and around

and scream as i spin violently back to center.

back to before the world did it for me,

back to when it felt good.

More from Carlee Wilson ↓

1. @poetcarlee on Instagram

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 sustains. Thank you for supporting the podcast.