Aching by Brittany Searle Kempaiah

Aching by Brittany Searle Kempaiah

From One Poem Only by Maggie Devers

May 4, 2026 · 3 min · Season 2 · Episode 4

About this episode

This episode features a reading of the poem 'Aching' by Brittany Searle Kempaiah, exploring themes of memory and longing in the context of parenting.

One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise. Aching Brittany Searle Kempaiah Unexpectedly. There are moments I relish my arms being my arms again. And then, I ache for you. I ache for the way you once fit in the crux of them your head on my bare chest. I ache for those moments I dreaded your screaming. and the way it seemed to echo with accusations of my failure. I ache for the days I wondered what I had done with my life. and sat by your cot. Begging you to forgive me for wanting to be me again. I ache for your tiny brace I hated. The thin clothes and baggy pants that always seemed to draw eyes to us, accusing me of not being enough to heal you. I ache for your bald spot I tried to cover and the tiny milk peoples I feared were a sign of sensitive skin. The fear that your easily marked brown skin would scar and you would blame me for allowing your perfection to be blemished. I ache for your fumbling steps, your bruised head and scraped knees that made me fear you were somehow becoming too much like me. I ache for the bottles you wanted late at night. To hold you in the rocking chair and sing you back to…

People in this episode

Host: Maggie Devers

Guest: Brittany Searle Kempaiah

Topics covered

  • poetry
  • memory
  • parenting
  • loss
  • identity

Keywords

  • poem
  • aching
  • Brittany Searle Kempaiah
  • parenting
  • memory
  • loss
  • identity

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