April 1, right? No, it's April 2, and I missed the very first day of National Poetry Writing Month, a challenge I happily accept most years. Except 2023. So, better to begin than not write at all. Thanks to the inspiration from NaPoWriMo, or more precisely, Maureen Thompson, from far off Washington, D.C., her daily prompt will (hopefully) help me find words.
The Art of Swimming
Once, about a decade or so ago,we were on a small sailing boat, somewhere off
the coast of Costa Rico, to visit a nameless island.
The dingy was too small to carry all of us; the captain,
an untrustworthy Captain Jack,
called for volunteers. "'Tis not so far to swim," as he glared
at us, daring one of us to take the challenge.
I said yes, for I loved to swim, the sea was relatively calm,
the distance seemed not so great. That is, until
the little boat was gone and I was awash in the sea, slow crawling
toward that tiny island, now a speck so far away.
I did swim, rolling in the blue waves, counting my breaths,
grateful for the sun's direction, stroke after stroke,
steady and calming, truly an art, alone and
one with the sea, doubting and then not doubting,
still smooth mindless stroke after stroke,
like the passage of days,
then finally climbing up the beach,
crushed shells beneath my feet, grateful to rest on the land.
Somehow, there was room on the way back,
crushed shells beneath my feet, grateful to rest on the land.
Somehow, there was room on the way back,
but I have not forgotten that long swim in the sea.
Sometimes I wonder if I will return to that nameless island,
to face again those waves,
that silence,
that calmness within.
Thank you, NaPoWriMo and Maureen Thompson, for setting up these daily prompts. Why not check out what others have written -- or, explore your own poetic self?
Visit participants' sites at NaPoWriMo to read what others have written!
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