From the Ocean to the Pool

From the ocean to the pool…

Barbara J. Smith

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There’s? a reason we learn to swim in a pool.

The current is calm there.

Buoyant bodies adjust easily to gentle waves.

Movement required, not foreboding

The coordination of breath,

a concert and interplay of practice and confidence

it comes naturally with time.

When the temperature is just right

It’s easy to slip into the shallow end

Taking things one step at a time

Assured by the solid foundation beneath.

My swim instructor, Sherry

Coaxed me to move my arms a certain way, and then my legs.

At first it is not familiar;

On my own, I sag in the water; the timing’s off

She gives me hints, she jumps in, holds me up

until I get the hang of it.

I see others soaring by, but I know I’ll get there.

I can tell she believes in me.

So I learn to love to swim.

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Learning to swim was fun

Especially when conditions were safe

Mistakes could be made,

as if they belonged

in the whole scheme of things.

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Learning at school was a bit like learning in the pool, but different.

there were more than 8 kids in the group.

we had to wait for attention, wait for help

often the bell rang, and it just wasn’t there.

School felt more like learning to swim in an ocean

waves crashing information at you, constantly.

interrupting flow, making us gasp for air

so many of us drown trying to perfect so many strokes

at the same time

the water, unlike the pool, murky

too many unable to see the bottom, or the sky

missing the warmth of clarity and purpose

yearning to be far away from the chill.

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Learning in school

Shouldn’t have to be this way.

Who will move the lessons from the ocean to the pool?