I am a beautiful woman, walking

        along a river, along a beach, over a bridge,

my feet crunching on stones and sand, making

gentle thuds as they connect with the earth.

I am a beautiful woman, walking.

I choose to survive,

I am honouring my ancestors:

the beautiful women who walk with me.

I think of warrior women, walking

I think of wise women, walking

I think of strong women, walking.

For years I have not known who I am.

Now, I find answers in the arc of a duck’s wing as it

takes flight,  in a seagull’s throat as it chokes out its cry,

in the sunshine on my back, the glass-glitter of water.

I find answers in the rhythm of walking:

along a river, along a beach, over a bridge.

I am the past and the present and the future.

I am a beautiful woman walking, honouring

my ancestors, myself, my children, the future

warrior women, listening to the sound of the sea

and the timeless rhythm of feet.

© Louisa Adjoa Parker 

The above poem was published on the Poetry Space website in November 2009 when I was still publishing monthly selections of poems and before Poetry Space became a company. This was to happen in February 2010. I was very pleased though that even at this stage Poetry Space was attracting a high standard of submission. This exceptional one by Louisa Adjoa Parker later found its ways into Collage, the best of Poetry Space 2010 which included all the poems from our first year alongside the winning and highly commended poems from Poetry Space Competition 2010, judged by Philip Lyons.