Sunday, August 1, 2010

Swimming

The sun cuts like a knife
through the watery surface
 and the bottom of the pool suddenly
becomes a place where
brilliant diamond-shapes
come to dance.

someone calls my name from
across a vast expanse
and i leap unabashedly into the atmosphere
secure in the knowledge
of being caught.

Because i am little i do not feel
the iciness of the water as it hits my skin,
for i am wearing an imaginary cape
(if you didnt notice)
I do not taste the salty chlorine,
for i still have remnants
of hot dog stuck in my teeth.
I can't feel the sting of water
going up my nose
for ive learned enough to
hold
my
breath
upon
impact.

Inhaling deeply i lie on my back
pretending to be a dead log.
The balloons of air tucked deep in my stomach
will be my secret supply of oxygen.
i push my belly above the surface
showing the birds and squirrels
my neat trick

If i wanted
I could roll around in any formation,
wiggling my toes
and somersaulting into oblivion and
watch the blue underwater world spin
round and round like the dryer.

So when did i learn fear?

today
i rip the plasticy smelling water wings
off my arms
and step to the edge of the world
and i dont care
if someone is there to catch me
when i leap into the air
because i remember now
what i once knew as a small child:
that
i
can
float.

6 comments:

Susannah said...

I love this. Right from that wonderful first verse. . .

"The sun cuts like a knife
through the watery surface
and the bottom of the pool suddenly
becomes a place where
brilliant diamond-shapes
come to dance."

Right to the quite profound ending . . .

"because i remember now
what i once knew as a small child:
that
i
can
float."

Wonderful! we all need to remember that.

Nice writing. :-)

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

the bottom of the pool suddenly
becomes a place where
brilliant diamond-shapes
come to dance.

love your imagination.

brenda w said...

Beautiful piece. This truly is lovely and nostalgic.
~Brenda

Space Lady said...

Even sleep deprived and dealing with multiple distractions in the background, you held my attention. Worthy of multiple reads. Strong ending. And, thanks!

Steve Capelin said...

I can float. I liked the whole thing. I am a water addict and felt each chilly and exhilerating line.

Hopeful Ponderings said...
This comment has been removed by the author.