Poem from the Skyros Centre by Mandy Rymill

We all came to Skyros to set ourselves free
To write and to swim and to just simply be
There’s the writers, the lifers, the tutors, the team
We’re all one big family, or so it must seem
To the villagers who look at us as if we are mad
With our yoga mats and musings and eyes that are sad
But this place has healed us and set us on the way
To a bright future for all, so we say ‘thanks’ for our stay.

To Julian with his clipboard, his Greek and his rules
And John with his calmness and life-coaching tools
There’s Crysse with her ‘lovely’ and her words of advice
And Yoga Suzy with her positions, massage hands so nice
And Sarah-Helena who sorts, does and smiles
And finally Hazel who has made it all so worthwhile.

And what about us?
There’s Helen, the wisest and Scottish of all participants
And Trish with her kindness, her hair and her ants
And Maggie so observant, who wanders afar
And Simon with his ladies and his trip in the car.
There’s Nicky with her dress, her piano and her songs
And Richard with his quirkiness, his jokes but no thong
And Jo with her snorkel, her lie-ins and ouzo
And Jeannie with her lilo and swimming and booze – oh,
And don’t forget Anna with her opera and her wine
And Annette with her skirts and her dresses so fine.
Then there’s Diana with her yoga, her hat and skirt
And Mike with his football club and very nice shirt.
Then there’s Kathy, a vegetarian who doesn’t eat fish
And Musetta with her history, her journal and dish – washing
And let’s not forget Steph with her poems and grace
And, finally, there’s me, with the bump on my face.

So Skyros we say ‘thank you’ for all that you are
And know that we’ll think of you whether near or whether far.

Mandy Rymill

Mandy attended the Writers' Lab holiday at the Skyros Centre in June. To find out more about the Skyros Centre, visit www.skyros.com/village_centre.htm or call 01983 865566 for a brochure.