They Built the Wall Themselves by M. A. Dubbs | Handpicked Wednesday

They Built the Wall Themselves by M. A. Dubbs | Handpicked Wednesday

From One Poem Only by Maggie Devers

May 6, 2026 · 3 min · Season 2 · Episode 6

About this episode

This episode features the poem 'They Built the Wall Themselves' by M. A. Dubbs, exploring themes of solitude and reflection by the water.

Wednesdays on One Poem Only are a double feature: one poem here on the podcast, and one more by the same poet shared on Instagram. They Built the Wall Themselves M. A. Dubbs On any given weekday on the east boardwalk of Port Washington, you’ll find fishermen of leisure. Long white beards, shirtless with an all over tan, crepey skin a canvas of tattoos; a visual storyboard of his trials. If you’d ask, you’d learn about the steady hands that inked him as a kid drafted to ‘Nam. He won’t say much about the thick bordered ones he did when he got back. Just shake his beard and tell you “mistakes.” Ashes from his cigarette will fall on familiar burn marks as his lips tremble. The lake clears the mind, dampening the sound of everything. Even the water crashes silently on the storm breaker, so it’s always still. A haze, not a fog, rests north of here. Resting on the horizon like an acoustic panel. It’s the silence that he seeks but he’ll bring six fishing rods anyways. Strap them up in a row along the railing, all cast close, lines just four feet apart. If you’d ask, he’d say he’s trying to better his odds. Ask if he’s caught anything so far and he’d shrug, tell you nothing good yet but…

People in this episode

Host: Maggie Devers

Topics covered

  • poetry
  • fishing
  • reflection
  • nature
  • personal stories

Keywords

  • poem
  • M. A. Dubbs
  • Port Washington
  • fishing
  • reflection

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Port Washington

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