We Are

To celebrate the coming of spring, my writing group wrote a series of short stories and poems with the help of four single word prompts.

I chose galoshes, but I still didn’t know what to write. At the same time, I was working on a science fiction short story and planning a screenplay for my Open University creative writing course. I was also dealing with family demands and adapting to working from home. My battery levels were running low.

Seeking comfort, I delved into my ‘to read’ pile of books and came across a book my sister-in-law had slipped into my bag last year while whispering that she thought I would enjoy this one: Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam. The shape and simplicity of one particular poem inside this novel, inspired me to write a poem that didn’t drain the battery levels any further.

My version of ‘We Are’ was inspired by the times I would spend a rainy Sunday afternoon with my toddler daughter splashing in the puddles outside our garage. The Sundays when it was too windy to visit the seafront for fear we would be turned inside out, much like our umbrellas. The Sundays when the coastal front would drive the rain through your mac, your trousers, and then down your wellies; just like a jet washer. The Sundays when most normal folk would curl up on the sofa watching the tenth rerun of Finding Nemo, instead.

But there is a certain satisfaction to coming back into a warm house, changing into dry, warm clothes and sticking the kettle on for a hot chocolate. Followed by watching the tenth rerun of Finding Nemo.

If you like the weather as much I do, then pop over to read ‘We Are’ on the Lockerbie Writers’ Anthology website. There’s a few other stories and poems for you to enjoy too.

(Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash)