Invited by clear blue water,
I dive in the pool.
Age slips away,
and I am 10 again.
“Swimmers!”
“Take your mark!”
“Go!”
With goggles suctioned to my face,
freestyle feels as natural as walking.
But backstroke feels even better
because looking up at the wispy clouds on blue sky
and gazing up at gigantic oaks and tulip poplars
reminds me
I am a swimmer.
My body rhythmically pulls the water.
I kick with joy.
I am free.
pelicansandprose 
Oh, I can so relate to this – especially the idea of looking up at the sky while doing backstroke!! I love how you say once you are in the water, you’re free again, and like a ten year old again. Thanks for sharing
I love your poem! Also love that you created it from your own post. This poem really radiated joy to me.
We need all the joy we can find these days!
I went back to read your last post and love both it and the poem you’ve found within it. I especially was drawn to your tender memories of your father in the prose post and to your joy in swimming in this poem. Great post!
I love how you reworked last week’s post to create this poem. What a gift to take your words and share them in a new way. I especially like how you “became 10 again” and every thing happens in the present tense. It makes the experience feel even more immediate.
I went back and read your last post. What a great memory of your dad teaching you to swim and then capture your freedom in a poem. This is a great strategy I did not think of when I was teaching…after a student writes a story, go back and turn it into a poem. I may try it myself since I’m not very good at writing poetry. 🙂 Thank you.