To mark the 90th anniversary of Brightlingsea Lido, poets and writers were asked to capture the occasion in 90 words or characters in flash or poetry, a project run by Writer in Residence Ruth Loten. This is my effort which was shared on their Facebook page this week.
Cup my hand,
move it through the water,
make a circle with my arm back to the start,
do the same with the other arm,
one goes down and back,
one goes up and forward,
kick my legs alternately,
turn my head away from the arm entering the water,
breathe,
putting my face in the water is safe,
focus on what I’m doing,
never mind who’s there,
block the noise out,
listen to my aunty’s voice in my head,
I’ve got this,
I won’t drown,
It’s ok,
I can swim.
Copyright © 2022 Lily Lawson
Photo Olivia from Braintree by Martin Green
If you want to know more about the Lido visit their website https://www.brightlingsealido.org/