I go down to the lake with my friend, the swimmer,

We sink; no, slink, into the cool, clear shimmer,

Of sky-bright water, dancing like diamonds,

And we long to be slimmer.

We talk and laugh, breathless with the fun and the effort and the silliness of it all,

As the cormorants dive around us like fierce-eyed witches,

And the skin swimmers scoff at our wetsuits – such bitches!

And I know that I’m blessed, three times over,

In the strength of my body, in the peace of my soul,

and in the care of my friend, the swimmer. 

xx

xx

With fourteen books to her name, Sharon is a Sunday Times bestselling author and has been described by that newspaper as being ‘unable to write a sentence not suffused with menace.’ Her latest book, The Dark, (Orion) was published in May 2022.