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