Steady,

breathe deeply,

hold your nerve

and dive right in…

 

For whilst it was the most ungainly

entry into the wet,

shivering warmth,

I at least gave it a go

and the laughter of two

hundred, the attempt of early

humiliation was nothing, for

only having learned to swim

at ten, twenty lengths for a charity

later, diving in the deep end

held no fear and whilst failure

was the option grasped,

scoring one

point for the class,

out of sympathy,

I stuck my head above the surface

of blue skinned water

and smiled.

 

Ian D. Hall 2016