This Town by Macy Williams | One Poem Only

One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise. This Town Macy Williams This town knows many ways of moving. Some rush. Some pause. Some stop and start again. All of them count. I walk these streets with a body that does not follow the expected map. Some days it cooperates. Some days it asks for patienceI’m still learning how to give.Disability lives quietly here.In waiting.In adapting.In choosing rest without permission.In knowing limits without shame.There are doors that open easilyand others that don’t notice you at all.There are systems built for speed,and people built for survival instead.I have learned that strengthis rarely loud.It looks like showing up anyway.It looks like leaving early.It looks like staying home and choosingto keep going tomorrow.This place holds all of itthe visible, the hidden, the misunderstood.Bodies that ache.Minds that work differently.Lives that don’t fit tidy explanations.I am not here to overcome anything.I am here to exist.To take space.To move at the pace my body allows,without needing to justify it.And this townwith its noise and quiet corners,its imperfections and familiar streetskeeps making room for people like me.Not because we are exceptional.But because we are part of it.More from Macy Williams ↓@macywilliams05 on InstagramSupport + Stay Connected to OPOIf 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 reminds us what matters. Thank you for listening.Mentioned in this episode:Write After with One Poem OnlyWrite 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