Alun Robert was born in Scotland of Irish ancestry. He is a prolific creator of lyrical verse. Of late, he has achieved success in poetry competitions and featured in international literary magazines, anthologies and on the web.
After Roger Deakin
Roger Stuart Deakin (1943-2006) writer and environmentalist
credited as founder of the English wild swimming movement
Going against the flow
Eyes straight ahead
Skimming on the surface
Like whirligig beetles
Gulping for breath
Mouth spitting water
That’s hardly saline
Though far from pure. But
Colder than ambient
Particularly under willow
Guarding from the banks
Like soldiers of honour
Avoiding native crayfish,
Gold-ring dragon larvae,
Stoneflies and above
Skirting mayfly. While
Reeds up the nostrils
Mixing with mucus
Coughing and spluttering
Every so often with
Knees knocking pebbles,
Rocks, dead branches,
Effluent of mankind
Dumped in the creek. For
This may be springtime
And this is wild swimming
In the hinterland of England
Off the beaten track
Going against the flow
Eyes straight ahead
Swimming in a stream
Never out of depth.
Alun Robert