Last Year by Samah Ayesha | One Poem Only

One Poem Only · Feb 27, 2026 · 1m

One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise.

Last Year

Samah Ayesha

i spent the better half of last year

staring at the ceiling,

watching it bend more crooked

the longer i looked.

but it wasn't just the ceiling

it was the walls, the floor,

maybe my footing,

maybe my mind

from being indoors too long.

each time i completed ablution,

each time i laid down my mat to pray,

it seemed off too.

i checked the compass,

adjusted,

checked again

but the mat wouldn't straighten.

or was it my footing?

i wasted the better half of…