sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Poetry Friday: First Swim

by

It’s Friday which means it’s Poetry Friday.  The weather here has been summerish for weeks, even though Summer isn’t officially here till Sunday.  I love the warm, especially since it gives me an excuse to swim- beach or pool, doesn’t matter, I just love to swim.   But there is nothing like that very first outdoor swim for the season and this got me thinking about how, as a child, I would be so excited when the town swimming pool would finally open for the  season.  The anticipation of that first swim – and the joy of finally jumping in!   Here’s a little poem I wrote a while back to celebrate that memory – and, because I don’t have a photo to go with it, here’s one of my favourite photos of something a little bigger than me having a splash.

 

First Swim     

This whale tail is completely unrelated to all of my books, but it makes me smile.

Summer’s here

and I rejoice

to see the OPEN  sign outside the pool.

Blue water beckons

and once I’ve paid

I dump my towel and rush

to greet my old friend.

SPLASH!

Bliss bubbles and bibbles

as I plunge into icy depths.

 

(Poem and photo  copyright Sally Murphy)

The Poetry Friday roundup today is hosted by  Bridget. Pop by, check out the round up and be sure to wish Bridget a Happy Thanksgiving – she’s far from home as she celebrates.

 

 

 

Comments

  1. I too love swimming and I especially loved swimming in the Delaware river, at a swimming hole that has long disappeared. We named the rocks we discovered in the river. I enjoyed your poem and swimming memories.

  2. I think that whale is having fun splashing by your bubbling poem Sally. When I’m feeling a bit too cold I’ll think of you taking a splash on a warm sunny day–soak in all that warmth, thanks!

  3. While you are anticipating your first swim, we are looking forward to snow! I remember the excitement of that first swim from when I was a child–and still today, too.

  4. Loved the dive into the deep end with your splashy poem, Sally! Happy warm summertime to you! It’s indoor swimming for us for the foreseeable future, but a dip in the pool nonetheless. =)

  7. I’ve been away from the (indoor) pool for over a month because of this and that reasons, but yesterday I went for a swim. It was wretched but also glorious to be back in my element — water!

    • I swim indoor too – and this year was about 6 months away from it, also for’this and that reasons’ (love that phrase!) and getting back into training was hard. I had all the excuses and all the doubts, and, in the first couple of weeks back, also all the sore muscles, but ohhhhhh the bliss too.

  8. The anticipation of that “first of the season” event is palpable in your poem. We might get our first snow in a day or so… another plunge into cold water. Thanks for your post and the picture, which makes me smile also!

  9. The air is warm but the water has some catching up to do…
    Sally, your poem triggers seasonal memories. Thank you for this. I love the metaphor of an old friend. It’s a seasonal reconnection.

    • Thanks Alan. Yes, the water is usually a bit ate to the party, but we’ve had a month to warm it here.

  10. Love “bliss bubbles and bibbles.” 🙂 Happy almost summer! It’s hard for us in the n. hemisphere to imagine summer in december. We’re just starting to really bundle up for the cold. 🙂

    • Thanks Jama. And I have trouble imagining that kind of cold – I’ve never seen snow, for a start!

  11. Your poem brought back all kinds of memories for me of that first swim of summer. May Day weekend marked the beginning of swimming season for us. The pool might not be open, but there was a river, a lake and a pond nearby where we could jump in and make our splash.

  12. I certainly love reading a summery poem today, Sally, when we are filled up with cold and snow. That is a favorite memory of mine, though, going for the first time to my local pool with a friend, “Coolcrest”! Happy summer to you!

sallymurphy.com.au