What We Don’t Put Away by Nicole Shepherd | One Poem Only

About this episode

Nicole Shepherd reads her poem 'What We Don’t Put Away' reflecting on the burdens of uncompleted tasks and the passage of time.

One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise. What We Don’t Put Away Nicole Shepherd It’s mid-April, and the Christmas tree is still up. I’ve stopped turning the lights on. The crinkled plastic branches block the window unit I’ll need next month. When I dragged the box out in November, the lights warmed the icy air— made me believe in peace on earth, goodwill to men. But now I’m tired. The faux limbs droop with evergreen shame. I can do the dishes or put it away— not both. Typical. A bowl full of jelly turned shame mascot. Even the Easter Bunny won’t stop by. I’m tired of marking time by what I haven’t done. I want to carry the tree to storage, a singular pallbearer, before I need one. Let me mark time by what I manage— even if it’s small. Even if it’s late. Even if it’s just this. More from Nicole Shepherd ↓ @tenderpunkconfessional 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 slows us down. Thank you for listening. Mentioned in this episode: Write…

People in this episode

Host: Maggie Devers

Guest: Nicole Shepherd

Topics covered

• poetry
• self-reflection
• time management
• holiday traditions
• personal growth

Keywords

• poem
• Nicole Shepherd
• Christmas tree
• self-improvement
• poetry podcast

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