by Judith Kingston
Being Dutch means you
want to fight the sea.
You are all of seven
and the waves have been here
since the dawn of time,
yet you need to stand:
see if they will overcome you
or you subdue them.
How strong can it be,
the sea?
It laps at your feet,
retreats demurely,
then crashes over the
length of you and you
run back, soaked and laughing.
Being Dutch means
you fight the sea,
but you end up shaking
hands in the sand and
agreeing to live side by side
both of you subject to
the wind and the moon
a lifetime of lurching
no holds barred
onto a common shore.
Judith Kingston is a Dutch writer living in the UK. Her poetry has been published on Poets Reading the News and in the Fly on the Wall Press anthology “Persona non Grata”. It has been performed in a number of Off West End immersive theatre productions and her pamphlet ‘Signs and Wonders’ was shortlisted for publication by Against the Grain Poetry Press. Her work is also set to be published in Riggwelter and Piccaroon magazines in May 2019. Judith writes poetry in attempt to look her fears in the eye. Her other talents include drawing windmills and rearranging the washing up so it looks as if there is less of it.
Advertisements
