‘Penguin Watching On Redbill Beach’ by Stephanie Conn

Out of place in this heat,
this sweltering air, hairdryer hot;
we wait for the temperature drop of twilight.

For years I have taught
six year olds to stick cut-out penguins
on A3 sheets of ice and snow.

Now we wait on the east coast,
in cut-off jeans, to catch a glimpse
of their tiny frames, one ruler tall.

There are others here –
Fuji Finepix slung around their necks
like magic pendants

catching the moonlight,
sending blasts of light crashing
onto the bare rocks.

We wait. Watch them leave,
cursing at the sea, let the breeze shake
free of their disappointed voices.

The penguins have found
another way. Two tap their way out
of the waves, try the sandy gap

between stone. They hop onto
a low lying rock and flat-foot it
to the trees. The rest follow –

a single line of shuffling feet,
like small children filing from a classroom,
clutching text books under their arms.

From issue #1: autumn/winter 2015

About the Author
Stephanie Conn’s first collection, The Woman on the Other Side, was published by Doire Press and was shortlisted for the Shine/Strong Award for best first collection. Her pamphlet Copeland’s Daughter won the Poetry Business Pamphlet Competition and is published by Smith/Doorstep. Her latest collection, Island, was published in 2018.