Beach Ready

by Kirsty A. Niven

Illustration: Ida Henrich

I stand here, dripping wet,
trying to come to terms with myself,
with this shell that doesn’t seem to fit.
My reflection distorts daily,
changing like the tide –
drifting in and out of hatred.
Is this mermaid hair or seaweed clumps?
That face a constant oil slick,
dampened by beady eyes
and blighted by barnacle acne.
The balloon belly, a beached whale,
a sight so far from bikini ready.
Thighs that wobble like jellyfish,
streaked with a mother of pearl sheen.
The feet I would trade for a tail,
the skin I could cover with glittering scales.
If only I could cut my spirit free,
fillet it from this fleshy prison,
and float away uncaged and unbound.

Kirsty A Niven

Kirsty A. Niven is from Dundee, Scotland where she lives with her husband and cats. She graduated from the University of Dundee in 2013 with a first class degree in English. Her writing has appeared in a number of anthologies such as A Prince Tribute, Landfall and Betrayal: A Collection of Poetry and Prose on Betrayal and Being Betrayed. She has also had poetry appear in numerous journals and magazines, including The Dawntreader, Cicada Magazine, The Machineryand Dundee Writes. Kirsty’s work can also be read online on websites such as Cultured Vultures, The Scottish Book Trust, Silver Birch Press and several others.

Ida Henrich is a German Cartoonist, Illustrator and Designer based in Scotland. She has worked with award winning publishers, online coaches and magazines. Ida is a graduate of Communication Design at the Glasgow School of Art where she specialised in Illustration. In her own work she explores themes such as sex-education, growing up, and women’s experiences. Her comics and illustrations are written for both men and women and aim to start an open dialogue between partners, friends, parents, and children about their experiences. Ida believes that Art is a powerful way to make ideas and feelings tangible.

As Art Editor at Fearless Femme, Ida is responsible for all things visual, including the correspondence with our visual artists, the design and realisation of the online magazine and the illustration of our amazing cover women. She also creates artwork for some of our articles, poems and stories.

Ida loves her coffee in the morning, that feeling after finishing an illustration and going for a run in the (Scottish) sun; and pilates on the rainy days. Ida enjoys SciFi books and autobiographies, and autobiographical comics. She is always delighted to meet new people on trains but is also smitten being home alone colouring in an illustration that she has made way too intricate while listening to Woman’s Hour. You can contact her at ida@fearlessly.co.uk.