Morning Swim Class
One, by one, we jump
Orange life-jacketed, like parachuters
Sinking into a fluid sky
to pop back up again
to the surface of the pool.
In the racing of arms and legs
and kicking feet,
we become frogs, butterflies, and fish
as we struggle to reach the ropes.
And there we gather, perching
like birds on a telephone wire
bobbing up and down
until we are called to come back.
Dipping down like ducks
we dive to the bottom of the pool.
The teacher, mermaid-like,
swoops down
showing us the perfect dive.
