Splash! Kerthump. Thud.
Splash! Kerthump . Thud.
Splash! Kerthump . Thud.
A woman with a large bun bulging under an equally large Esther Williams cap
Swims steadily, slowly.
I wonder if it feels she is swimming her fastest, to her.
I wonder if this is an unkind thought.
I wonder when I swim my fastest, does it look so pokey?
Splash! Kerthump . Thud.
Splash! Kerthump . Thud.
Splash! Kerthump . Thud.
The sound induces stillness, opening
of time and space.
like classical music, bagels and comic strips Sunday mornings when I was a kid.
like a good yoga class.
like a great drawing session.
Half the sky is ominous grey.
I chose to workout inside fearing this storm.
It’s so easy to feel how this moment
leisurely rolls forward
to thunder lightning rain pounding the pool surface in great wollops
and onward to tomorrow’s raucous play party in the sunshine, kids in grown bodies yelling, jumping, playing keep away with a ball.
My sense of freedom and space,
plenty of time to accomplish anything
darts away faster than the little lizards on the sidewalk as soon as I ask
“What then, shall I accomplish first?”
Suddenly, mind races over tasks which scream to be done, ignored at my peril
What then, shall I accomplish?
I took one breath to write this, my friend.
lisatschudipoetry 