Rain, Breath and Water – A Poem

I swam with the rain above me.

It gently lashed at the windows,

creating a whisper that echoed

in the air.

A woman entered and waved.

I called out a

Hello!

and moved to the left side of the pool.

I knew that she was afraid of water;

she liked to use the wall to guide her,

give her a sense of safety.

I kept swimming,

the music of rain and my breath

joined by the music of release

as she slipped under the surface.

A while later,

another person entered.

I merely waved to him

because I knew that he was deaf.

Giving me a smile,

he motioned to where I was swimming

and tilted his head to the left.

I knew that he liked to swim

against the wall as could not hear.

He didn’t want to worry about

someone he may not see

on either side of him.

Nodding my head,

I moved to the centre of the pool,

which was now filled with the sounds of rain,

the gentle coo of breathing,

splashes and the soft noise of

bodies moving through water.

As I swam forward,

I found myself gently rocked

between the powerful movement

of the people on either side of me.

For a moment,

I let myself be rocked and listened

to the sounds of rain.