NEXT >

RELATIONSHIP AS COVERED RESERVOIR

Paul Stephenson


All the years close to water. By a bulk of water. That hulk of water. Flat water.
Still water. Being water. Water in the dark. Oblivious water. Obviously water.
Water where water should be. Water with a roof. With walls. A body of water.
Shared water. Everyone’s water. Neighbouring water. Neighbourly water. 
Water with grass on. You couldn’t walk on. Water close by. Closed off water.
Water behind railings. Water off limits. Supposed water. Ought to be water.
Take your word for it water. Water under lock and key. Padlocked water.
Water with Keep Out signs. Official water. Officious water. Measured water.
Metred water. Believed in water. Believed to be water. Hypothetical water.
Water waiting. Patient water. Water biding its time. Well-behaved water.
Weekday water. Rainy day water. Rained on water. Going nowhere water.
Water treading water. Water concealed. Unrevealed. Knew no surprise water.
No twilight, sunrise water. No boats or swans water. Nothing floating water.
No running on water. Water not sailed on. No kid’s laughing water. Water
you could land a helicopter on. Take off from. Drown a city with water. Water
we presumed to be water. Took for granted water. Ignored for years water.
Didn’t think twice about water. Blind to water. Could have broken into water.
Jumped up and down on water. Hard water. Difficult water. By itself water.
A watery self. Water alone. Lonely water. Encased water. With a lid on water.
Couldn’t breathe water. Or evaporate water. Let off steam water. Dry water.
Shy water. Reserved water. Quiet water. Some days not speaking water. Water
working. Water not working. Getting worked up water. Water we ran and ran.

Paul Stephenson studied modern languages and linguistics. He has published three pamphlets: Those People (Smith/Doorstop, 2015), which won the Poetry Business pamphlet competition; The Days that Followed Paris (HappenStance, 2016), written after the November 2015 terrorist attacks; and Selfie with Waterlilies (Paper Swans Press, 2017). In 2013/14 he took part in the Jerwood/Arvon mentoring scheme and the Aldeburgh Eight, before completing an MA in Creative Writing (Poetry) with the Manchester Writing School. In 2018 he co-edited the ‘Europe’ issue of Magma (70) and currently co-curates Poetry in Aldeburgh. His first collection will be published by Carcanet in 2023. Find him on Instagram @paulstep456 and at paulstep.com.