Carol Keenan Verse-Virtual 2016 January

January 2016

I take long strolls along the waterfront in Long Beach, California since I retired in 2010. The sound of the ocean and sunsets soothe me. My life is filled with the warmth of friendships, yoga, a Buddhist study group and an occasional afternoon kayaking. I recently began to write poetry. I have been published only once before this. My poem, "Zen Meets Bubblegum," appeared in Sweet Words (Silver Birch Press, November 2015).

In Deep Water

I walk to the pool's edge.
I am four.
Red ringlets crown my father’s face.
He demonstrates how to stay
buoyant in deep waters.
His flexed arm and
broad shoulders pull me in.
He shouts,
Don’t stop. Just keep moving,
Tosses me high.
The sky meets the water’s edge
and spins.
I split the surface
and submerge.
Then resurface gulping water.
He laughs.
Yells,
Move your arms and legs
The water’s weight
pulls at my limbs.
I flail drawing closer to him.
He moves away
I start to sink.
His mouth forms words
I cannot hear.
He turns his back,
refuses to lead me to safety.
I kick hard.
Reach for the pools edge,
Cling
Cough up water
Then breathe in great gulps of air
and exhale
trust.