That day you showed me the
hidden beach where you go
to swim alone:

I imagine you 
with bare feet in damp dark
sand, zipping 
up your wetsuit —

twisting your tangled 
curls into a tight ball, secure 
at the nape of your quiet neck —

inhaling the blueness, and
exhaling the obstacles 
that conspired to keep you 
from making it to
this moment.

I feel you stepping into
the vast lake,

the hesitations 
you often cling to on land —
are gone.
With each step
taken away from solid ground,
they have slowly submerged.

And then you’re off,
and there is only the
lapping of cold water and
the thrum of your heart —
warm within.

24 May 2022

For  Annette