Women in Me by Ayushi | One Poem Only

A daily reading from One Poem Only—a quiet space for a single poem, read aloud.Women in MeAyushiI think I gather dreams like picking up stonesnear an abandoned highway wherethe road leads nowhere,where the wind pants like a tiger breathingand the woman in me returns to lookfor the girl she had lost years agoperhaps the salt in me will return to the seaand the light in me will break opena door, a wound, a memory, that no one can shuta spring thunder, bolts me awake from a dreamI am dragging my earthy-body towardsthe rivers of you, branching out like tendonsslowly the sun dissolves like sugar in waterall I hear are murmurs of momentskindness, kindness, kindnessits December and I am wrappedby the warmth of an afterthoughta kind of a forgiveness to all yourpast revolting selves.More from Ayushi ↓@artofmoon__ 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 slows us down. 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