Kerry Ryan
23/05/2022
Image description: a nude woman standing in light blue waves. She is holding a white apron that says ‘World’s Greatest Mum’ in black ink over her shoulder, and her head is turned so we only see her side profile and dark hair.
What if I gathered all the mothers together?
The mothers who wipedwashedsmiled
and said you can do it to every living other.
What if we all held hands and ran far
from sports day and another HR restructure?
Far from that wait for a gold-plated prince to say:
You’ve been good. Now all these riches are yours.
What if we raced to the white cliffs, shedding heels,
work blouses thrown to the wind and that apron:
World’s Greatest Mum?
What if we stood naked at the edge,
wild green waves calling, foam arching,
and our feet became fins, skin opalescent,
and we shouted with our new wet mouths:
J
U
M
P
Kerry Ryan writes plays, poetry and prose. She has won the Spilling Ink Short Story Prize and has been published in The Manchester Review, The Kenyon Review, 3am Magazine among others. She is contributing editor of ‘So Long as You Write’ an anthology of women’s words on writing published in June 2022. She is the founder of Write like a Grrrl which is now taught across the globe and Collectivity–a collective for experienced and emerging writers. She has a MLitt and a PhD in Literary Studies & Creative Writing.
Paper Road Magazine 