Guest Poem by Siobhan Ward

Siobhan Ward lives in London. Her poems have been commended in competitions, most recently the Ver Poetry Competition 2023 and the Oxford Poetry Library TASTE Competition 2024. Her work has been published in journals including Dreich, Ink Sweat and Tears, Porridge, The Cannon's Mouth, Wildfire Words and BODY and the podcast magazine Poetry Worth Hearing.

Morning Swim, Saint Malo

The water is never as cold as it looks.
If you think too much about the cold,
you’ll miss the chance to let it slap
your skin, push your body back and forth,
be legs, arms and chest in it – and eyes –
yes eyes – to see the expansiveness of sea,
sky, shore – all the human heads – not ducks –
heads like yours and mine – all bobbing –
with enough space – enough for everyone.
Oh, what it is to be in the water again!
Once you’re in, you’ll never want to leave.
You’ll ask yourself why we ever left.