Winner of the Poetry in Motion Competition, Cheltenham Poetry Festival 2017
water
when i become water
i shall be a lake full of fish and stone
upon me wooden boats will bob
children in bobble hats
will row around my perimeter
or across to my island –
almost too far away to see from land –
to swing on rope climb trees outpace horses
you'll know me
i shall be friendly and let each gaze
touch my honest surface
i won't be in a hurry
i'll dawdle
animals will come to drink from me
locals wrapped in goose-fat will swim my laps
or sit in deckchairs on grassy banks to read books
in spring and summer
belted kingfishers will build
nests they'll choose the side in the sun
once before rivers ran dry
and oceans died when the sky held rain
there were many lakes
swirling and fertile and deep
but i will be the only one
when i become water
Film maker: Diana Taylor - Link to film
when i become water
i shall be a lake full of fish and stone
upon me wooden boats will bob
children in bobble hats
will row around my perimeter
or across to my island –
almost too far away to see from land –
to swing on rope climb trees outpace horses
you'll know me
i shall be friendly and let each gaze
touch my honest surface
i won't be in a hurry
i'll dawdle
animals will come to drink from me
locals wrapped in goose-fat will swim my laps
or sit in deckchairs on grassy banks to read books
in spring and summer
belted kingfishers will build
nests they'll choose the side in the sun
once before rivers ran dry
and oceans died when the sky held rain
there were many lakes
swirling and fertile and deep
but i will be the only one
when i become water
Film maker: Diana Taylor - Link to film