Poetry Magazines - The best collection of poetry magazines online - Simon Armitage

   I came to the green bridge. Purple lights on the dark water. Purple lights in the trees. I walked midway across the bridge, my hands on the metal railings. I leant forwards.

   And fell.

   My mouth and nose filled. My foot touched bottom. It was spongy, slimy. I wanted to be sick. Pressure in my eyes, throat and chest. I glimpsed a light above me, a dazzling flash. Then it grew darker and my thoughts slowed down. moving my arms and legs, but it wasn’t me moving them. They did their own thing. The pain in my head and chest and throat reached a high point, then evaporated. I heard a long, echoey ‘s’ in my brain.

   My eyes closed in the black water, and found a deeper black. Some smooth moving thing brushed my cheek. Then another, cool on my cheek, like a blunt razor. Then for a time I was unknowing. For a time I was lost to myself

   I opened my eyes and all was lit up. Ultramarine. The brightest sunshine blue. Rainbow fish swarmed about me. A thousand black-dot eyes, eyed me. I was naked in the sparkling water. Naked, and my body was young and lean, each muscle toned. My skin was alive to every shimmer of light, every rhythm of current.

   I began to breathe water. It went down to my belly, stayed there a short while, giving me a pleasant fullness. Then I blew it out with some energy. I marvelled at the pattern it made outside my mouth.

   A large shape approached. A dolphin. It halted by me, smiling like a naughty child. I straddled its back, held onto its golden fin. We moved off, gained in speed, my hair flew back, the pressure of water against my features. Between my thighs I felt the drum heartbeat of the dolphin. Such blue around us. Strange creatures waved a claw, flicked a tail, blinked, as we went by. A school of diamond fish drew apart like a glittering curtain, as we passed through.

   I knew we were going somewhere necessary. I trusted the dolphin completely. I gave myself up to its will. The sandy bottom showed pink and yellow coral. I saw gold bars scattered, milk-white skulls, rubies.

   The surface above us grew nearer. I saw the swell of waves, cream foam. The dolphin stopped suddenly, twisted, turned a tight corner and threw me off. It faded back into the deep. I lost track of its glide. I swam till the water was shallow enough to stand. I waded to the beach, waves crashing around my legs.

   At last, I had landed.