Equinox Sunrise, Courageous Dippers and Poem. Part 1

Now or Never

When I arrived back from the Netherlands after a workshop with Don Americo and Gayle Yabar, I was met by a weary looking husband (Trevor) at the airport and I wondered what he had been up to!  He had been in his element taking photographs at dawn of brave dippers and swimmers, attempting to break a world record for the number of skinny dippers braving the North Sea to raise money and awareness for the mental health charity MIND.

Two weeks later Trevor hired a room at the Tynedside Cinema Newcastle to present his photos in a slide show to the intrepid dippers alongside a visual presentation of the amazing work MIND does. Fantastically about 40 people turned up for the slide show and my contribution was joyfully reading a poem written by one of the dippers.
Here is part of the poem "Life affirming morning at Druridge Bay" by Alan White

"Cloaked conspirators roam in the gloom,
Making their way to the surf's distant boom.
Coughing and laughing, sniffling and snuffling,
Fumbling and tumbling, stumbling and grumbling,
Eventually all locating the breach
And that's how the dippers descend to the beach.

We're here far too early. The sand feels too frigid.
We stand here much longer; we'll freeze till we're rigid.
There's no point in arms folded under your bust;
The cold will still get you. Oh well, if you must!
Veteran skinnies remain fairly calm;
They know it will do bits and pieces no harm.
But most stand or shuffle in some agitation
Because we are dreading the great revelation,
Because we all know in the depths of our hearts
It's wrong to exhibit our most private parts.
A diversion, form lines to make up a tally.
At this people start to get giggly and pally.

She enjoys a wonderful sixtieth party
With huge crowd of nudists, healthy and hearty.
The previous day marked my seventy first year,
And your splendid event gave me something to cheer.

A creature died in our field last night.
It wasn't me."