The Ice Gala

11.32am, 4.8°c, 42m Silver Medal Breaststroke
 
 
Silver shines across calmer water,  
a buzz much louder than I've heard  
and the scene of madness, community, soul  
is buried deep in the foundations of this chapel.  

Each person comes with strength and endurance,  
a tale of distance, of joy, of friends  
and here we root for each other,  
amongst steadying hearts, in rituals, in our congregations.  
 
The local champions visit, cheer, submerge  
and into the sheerest cold we commit  
our bodies and minds for an annual tradition  
before sharing food and drink as dear communion.  
 
I am not religious but here I see a holiness -  
the spirit, the appreciation, the dedication  
and in my entire being I feel such a burning love  
for every one who came and conquered.