Guest Poem by Wendy French

Wendy French's latest book, 'Bread Without Butter', was published by Rockingham Press during the height of the pandemic. The poems are a reflection on her ancestry and Welsh heritage. She still runs groups for people suffering from cancer for Maggie's Centre, Royal Marsden, and Ovacome Cancer Charity. With Robert Hancock she organises poetry and music evenings in Dulwich. This poem is from Acumen 107.

Crossing

It’s two strangers
crossing a bridge
in opposite directions
over a dried-up river.
And the sun beats down
on the back of one
and in the face of the other
and as they pass
they are holders
of the moment.

One stretches
out her hand,
the other takes it.
They clasp each other
like loving friends,
these two women
crossing a bridge
over a polluted river
where fish bred once.

And each goes
on her own way home.
One sings. One is silent.