The Refraction Of Water
Not knowing how to swim
I became an expert
at diving in
and swimming under water
(oh I could do that)
for a width
and then
another width back
reaching for the safety of the bar as if it were
Life itself
even pushed it so far
(I held my breath)
took to swimming lengths
underwater
the danger and the fear of death
became the thrill of it
lost in a soundless universe
living only on that one breath
my shadow like a soul distorted
accompanying me on the bottom
like a dolphin
///Time///broken///
in the refraction
of water.
Although I never learned
to swim
I became an expert
in not drowning.
***
IN AN OCTOPUS’S GARDEN WITH YOU
We play about
in the pool
(act the fool)
not swimming – playing.
I swim underwater
for a length
before passing underneath
your wide open legs.
You thrill to the touch
as I softly brush
your inner thighs
with my curly hair.
You laugh & cry:
“Again…again! ”
This time you
untying the little ribbons & bows
of your tiny bikini bottoms
giving me
a glimpse
of Heaven here
on earth
(under water)
my lungs on fire
gasping for breath
come up
clenched in my teeth
your little yellow
polka-dot bikini bottoms
only to find your top
like a jellyfish
scurrying away on
the surface.
your nakedness
split in two
by the refractive index
of the water.
“Come here! ”
you sneer
“I’ve got something
I want to
show you! ”
You sure
show me.
poem by Dónall Dempsey
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Related quotes
Gentle Creature
Gentle creature of the seas swimming happy, swimming free
dives into the sea with grace surfaces to show it's gentle face
Why are people so cruel to gentle creatures like you
You should be left to swim in peace
Graceful through the water you swim diving out and diving in
Oblivious to the world around across the water you leap and bound
Hours of fun you do provide playing, chasing then you hide
To the surface again you rise
How sad it would be if you were no more
If we could not stand upon the shore and watch you're playful
antics forever more
poem by Jenni Burt
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There Is A Swimming Pool In A Small Town (Orléans Rondel Prime)
There is a swimming pool in a small town
where water sparkles as blue as the sky,
where some bikini clad girls draw the eye,
with skin tanned to mahogany brown,
where from a diving board people dive down,
where time gets wings and quickly rushes by.
There is a swimming pool in a small town
where water sparkles as blue as the sky,
where a myriad of beautiful girls daily lie,
where the garden is somewhat overgrown
and children buy sweets, chips and pie,
while teens frolic until the sun does die.
There is a swimming pool in a small town
where water sparkles as blue as the sky.
poem by Gert Strydom
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I Go Swimming
Ooh, I go swimming, swimming in the water
Swimming in the river, swimming in the sea
I go swimming
I go swimming, swimming in the water
Swimming in the pool, swimming is cool
I go swimming
The sun is burning, I am yearning
For the waterflow (waterflow)
Next to my skin i, like to begin a
Waterflow (waterflow)
Letting off steam I float in a dream,
I cant let go (cant let go)
Follow my wishes, follow the fishes
Down below (down below)
I go swimming
I need water, water to drink
Water on my brain, water sustain,
Water over me
I want water, water I need
Water to think, water to drink
Water over me
The sun is burning, I am yearning
For the waterflow (waterflow)
Next to my skin i, like to begin a
Waterflow (waterflow)
Letting off steam I float in a dream,
I cant let go (cant let go)
Follow my wishes, follow the fishes
Down below (down below)
I go swimming
I go swimming, I go swimming
Swimming in water, swimming in water, swimming in water
Water all over me
Swimming in water, swimming in water, swimming in water
I go swimming, I go swimming
I go swimming, I go swimming
Swimming, I go swimming
Oh I go swimming, I go swimming
Water all over me
Swimming in water, swimming in water, swimming in water
Water all over me
Swimming in water, swimming in water, swimming in water
Water all over me
Swimming in water, swimming in water, swimming in water
Water all over me
song performed by by Peter Gabriel
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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In The Swimming Pool In The Park
Your sister called her
the girl in the red beret
and there she was
in the outdoor
swimming pool
in the park
her gran sitting
in the stands knitting
and Janice saw you
and said
Fancy seeing you here
can you swim?
You stood
in the shallow end
of the pool
in your blue trunks
looking at her wet fair hair
clinging to her body
and her eyes bright
in the sun's afternoon light
No not so far
you replied
I can
she said shaking water
from her hair and head
I can swim the length
and back almost
you looked over
at Jimmy in the pool
talking to friends
she touched your hand
and said
I can show you
how to swim
and she smiled
and you felt her hand
on yours and hoped
Jimmy wasn't looking
seeing her touch you
Maybe another time
you said
pulling your hand away
and plunging it
into the water
I've got to go
you said
my friends
are waiting for me
and she looked at you
her eyes now sad
and she said softly
No stay with me
I like it
when you are near me
and she stood there
in her pink swimsuit
her hair sticking
to her face
her eyes watery and blue
and gazing hopefully
(the noise and laughter
from the pool
momentarily shut off)
at seven year old you.
poem by Terry Collett
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Swimming in the sea
Summertime is here
And it is time for me to swim
Bodies of all shapes and sizes
Will be evident in the sea
Swimming in the sea
Provides closure of the winter for me
After being secluded for a few months
It is time to embrace the sea
I hope the sea will not be full
As I would really like to swim
The tingle of water through my feet
Provides peace for me
My body becomes accustomed to the sea
As the heat linger on over the beach
I am engulfed by the waves
“ Ooops…” I am far back in the sea
I see various shapes floating in the sea
They take up all the space
I can hardly breathe
It is hard for me to swim
There are bodies all around me
“Fok! Hoe kan ‘n mens so swem”
Swimming in the sea provides solitude for me
Swimming in the sea sets me free!
poem by Lee John Siebritz
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Channel Swimmer
Well it's cold down here in the water
It's cold down here in the sea
Who'd be a channel swimmer?
Only a fool like me
I've greased my body
and I'm heading over the ocean
These two arms are the only locomotion
I need
See me swim and see me float
I don't need no motorboat
or a yacht to get me there
I'll do the breaststroke
and the backstroke
I'll do anything
I'll be swimming when you're all asleep
I'll be swimming when you're all awake
I'll do the sidestroke
the other sidestroke
I'll do the butterfly
But I ain't gonna crawl
on back to you, no way
I see your face in every breaker
I see your smile across the reef
I came across the sea to take you
Don't make me out to be a thief
You'll be dreaming when you're all asleep
But I'll be drowning when you're all awake
I did the breaststroke
I did my best stroke
I did everything
But I ain't good enough
'Cause it's cold down here in the water
It's cold down here in the sea
Who'd be a channel swimmer?
Only a fool like me
Who'd be a channel swimmer?
Only a fool like me...
would forget he can't swim
song performed by by 10 Cc
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Your mind's ocean
Swimming away
swimming away
swimming away yeah
swimming through the deep blue ocean
nothing but red skies ahead
so put on ya hat and sun screen lotion
operation over cooperation
go swimming in your mind's ocean
The water so still
and the wind in motion
i'll be up and alive
before i'm down and moping
wake up in the water
before you drown
i'll make you want to smile
with my speechless frown
so put on ya hat and sun screen lotion
operation over anticipation
go swimming in your mind's ocean
Thoughts of doom and no hope
I'll dropp them in the oceans deep
To save my eyes when i grope
Dead to the world in this cool sleep
Swimming away
Swimming away
we'll swim all night
And walk all day
so put on ya hat and sun screen lotion
operation over destination
Lets go swimming
Lets go Swimming
in your mind's ocean
poem by Allen Steble
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Swimming Sideways
I'm in over my head in this nightmare
The water is dragging me under
And I'm gasping for air
I kick a little harder
I won't go without a fight
But the waves are getting bigger
Crashing down on me
The riptide is getting angrier
And I'm screaming frantically
But nobody can hear
I've made it through storms before
But do I have strength enough now?
My body is tired and sore
It tells me to surrender, but I vow
I won't give up, not yet
But these voices in my head
Tell me that it's useless
'You have no choice, ' they said
Tell me that it'll be painless
But then I hear my conscience
It's weaker than it used to be
But it's still there
It whispers to me
'You know what's right'
And I do, oh, I do!
But it's so tempting
To just give up when times are hard
When so many others are drowning
But I have a lifeguard
He died so I wouldn't
I can't disappoint him
So I muster all my strength
And sideways I try to swim
I'm not ready for death
My soul, my innocence, isn't ready to die
Oh, teenagers
We're all just trying to swim
Through life's stormy waters
Some of us seem to skim
Over rough water, under turbulent waves
Others are doggy-paddling
Slow, but steady
They get knocked around, but keep swimming
They make mistakes constantly
But hope and trust they'll eventually find land
And yet, so many others give up hope
Maybe they never learned how to swim
Or they've been crushed by one too many waves to cope
The future looks so grim
And either way, they drown
They give up who they are
To become who society wants them to be
They fall, they fall far
Into temptations and peer pressure easily
Some even give up on life
Me? I'm just doggy-paddling through
Trying so hard, but sometimes falling short
And now I'm stuck in this riptide, it's true
But I'll make it to that faraway port
Because now I'm swimming, swimming sideways
poem by Aimee Doll
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Between you and sports
Skating is the lost dream
that I once had
the one that was never with you
but always in my mind.
Swimming is to come back to the past
the moment where I first met you
that's why to be in water
means to see you by my side.
So I remember the water
with fresh splashes
and the wonderful sight of you
swimming along the pool.
Then I'll go
deep under the sea
and go over a great slope
to skate through my dreams
and be under the water to refresh my soul
walking always along streams
poem by Maria Jose Cid Velazquez
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The roadside bathers
The water of life streamed
Through the broken roadside tap
The sun burned like a death-fire
On bodies, bloodless and charred.
The white cloth clung to flesh
Laying bare embers of lost hopes
Unceasing the water flowed
Onto the soap-lathered bodies
And thence into the foul gutter
If only time went reverse
These ebony bodies would love
To swim back to the safety
Of that primeval water body
From where they had journeyed here
A journey back from fire to water.
poem by Jagannath rao Adukuri
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Tell her you love her
The road became bumpy suddenly,
All the promises vanished eventually,
They loved each other dearly,
Yet their pride defeated them,
She said sorry yet his pride defied it
She said sorry yet he looked aside,
She went on bended knees,
Yet he remained with a cold heart,
Knowing he loved her more,
But too proud to tell her
A wrong choice he did
Time became a thief,
All the moments stolen,
Pride and time played an interplay,
Yet time was stealing her also,
In her pronounced lonliness,
She found herself in a pool,
Crossing the road mindless,
It was the bus,
Everyone hated the bus,
Found swimming in a pool,
He despised his pride,
Seeing her in a red pool,
Telling her he loves her,
In the wrong time of course,
He should have known
The fate was fatal,
Witnessing her final breath,
Yet she wanted a lifetime with him,
Holding her dragging pulse,
Yet she wanted heartbeats with him,
Swimming in blood,
Yet she wanted to swim in water,
Wanted marriage but it was damage,
He should have known.
poem by Gaylord Munemo
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Theme From The Bottom
I feed from the bottom, you feed from the top
I live upon morsels you happen to drop
And coffee that somehow leaks out of your cup
If nothing comes down then Im forced to swim up
On the way upwards, the colors come back
But all along the bottom is blue, grey, and black
The darkness is cold and perception goes wrong
And the night seems to go on incredibly long
So I ask you why if Im swimming by,
Dont you see anything youd like to try?
Pantomime mixtures of heaven and earth
Jumbled events that have less than no worth
Time in the forest to dig under rocks
Or float in the ocean asleep in a box
Or sink just below all the churning and froth
And swim to the light source or fly like a moth
So toss away stuff you dont need in the end
But keep whats important and know whos your friend
So I ask you why if Im swimming by,
Dont you see anything that youd like to try?
If Im swimming by
From the bottom, from the top ( x 8 )
song performed by by Phish
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Waterborne love with Neptune’s Daughter
I’m goin’ wash you
right outa my hair
I’m goin ‘to wash you right outa’
this torrid affair,
I’m goin’ wash my hands
of you untrue
Once made my mouth water,
the likes of you,
You held my love like water
on a ducks back
You conniving water nymph
dressed in black,
Plying your waterborne love,
in you I did trust
Lying on your waterbed
goading my lust,
My God I knew this would
not hold water
Are you really the delinquent
Neptune’s daughter,
Swimming off with that
water canon hulk
Hope your water course leads
to the Isle of Sulk.
Now I feel like a water holding
frog waiting for rain
To swim in rivers of
love again and again,
With my tear filled water pistol
I’ll aim at you,
To water you down,
finally meeting your Waterloo.
poem by Ken e Hall
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Courage is setting yourself free
As she maneuvered
her entourage
of a motorized wheelchair
trained assistance dog
and personal assistant
into the Olympic size swimming pool
at the health club
I thought that it was
a nice idea
to come and sit
at the edge of the pool
and that it would probably
be therapeutic
or at least a refreshing
change of place
for someone in a wheelchair
but she scooted her vehicle
into front of the first swim lane
and as she was chatting to her assistant
the dog just sat there by the door
resting
her assistant reached behind her and
lifted her torso up and placed
her at the edge of the pool
as I was sitting in the
nearby whirlpool
at 4: 30 in the afternoon
I became curious
about what they were going to do next?
was the parapaligic
going to just go in the water
and sit or was there something more in store
when she was tossed in the water
I realized she must have been a swimmer before
you could tell by her upper body
that she had once had a sleek form
that swimmers have
powerful shoulder muscles
she started with a back stroke
her thick arms making a V stroke
her clenched fists
providing an engine to paddle her body
down the lane
since she had no control over her legs
the graceful placement of her head
during her swimming stroke
face up in the pool
forced her knees to come up
to the surface
this improvised technique
had half her body moving furiously
and the other half
the useless half
being dragged behind
she had an unusual turn
in which instead of using the wall
of the turn to propel off
she turned first sideways
and then circled back
and went on her way
but as she finished the turn
I saw a peaceful look
on her face
she had found
freedom of movement
once again
in a swimming pool
one of the most dangerous places
to be in
when you have lost control
of most of your body
poem by Oscar Mireles
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Here We Are
Here we are agin on this love,
Swimming in the water of love to gain a view;
Moving around and diving around like,
An orange tree of love.
You've got me on now,
true love is better than hate;
The water is warm around us and,
I do feel real in a realm like this.
Lead me on into your arm my sweet one and,
Show me the white love in you;
Here we are again on this love,
Swimming in the water of love to take a view.
This blue water also matches up with the sky,
And that is the way that true love goes;
Love is better than hate.
We are in this water together and,
I always feel better around you.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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Swimming (action poem)
Diving in with a splash.
Feeling cold water.
Rising to the surface.
Taking a deep breath.
Kicking through the water.
Fighting to stay afloat.
Slowing making my way to the wall.
Feeling the well toned muscles.
Swimming is a wonderful exercise.
poem by Vega Destiny Star
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Water Nymph (Fantasy Poem)
Water Nymph come swim with me,
in the deepest valleys of the sea.
Swim through the eddies,
flirt with the sea ladies.
Many treasures here for you and me.
sirens of the sea waving happily.
Water nymph, water nymph,
did you see, they waved at me.
Come water nymph come swim with me.
Enjoy the vastness of the deep blue sea.
There are sea monkeys, sirens, mermaids and more.
Maybe we can take some treasures back to shore.
Oh cmon water nymph, don’t be shy.
Come swim with me, watch the boats sail by.
(July 1,2007)
poem by Melvina Germain
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Swimming With The Dark Queen
how i wish to swim with the dark queen
how i like it that way
where i make the strokes, set aside the water with my hands
breathe,
and travel a distance,
wading throughall the liquids wrapping my body
the coldness and warmth all mixed up
the rhythm of the body sipping through
losing itself to a certain depth and coming out again triumphantly
experiencing little deaths and surging up to life again
i may pretend that i drown and i may resurrect myself with that big lie
and tell myself there is more to life than death
there is more to the struggle than simply lose myself in the depths of defeats and some uncertainties
Swim! Swim! Swim! Plunge yourself into the wates of Life
That is what my father too used to tell me once when he was alive
and so cruel and strict and unfeeling
and then i met you dark queen writing everything about swimming
how i wish to swim back to life again
and what i like most about it is that it can be done without so much talking.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Ocean Poem
I am merely a fish swimming in a pond of darkness.
The trees are anemones standing alone.
Yet still i ride on not giving up
Not stopping at all til we reach the home.
We are all just fish swimming around
We do not take in anything other than the water we breathe
We care about nothing
Its only ourselves we see
that’s why I swim alone in this pond
I don’t want to be like those others
The ones who are all the same
Ill be fine just remember my name
poem by Courtney Tak
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Hues of blue
From the holiday apartment’s window
I see people swimming in the blue pool
and the water looks icy cold
from the dark blue colour
Some girls and women have
bathing caps on in colours
of white, green and blue
and others swim without
while some lie
around the pool.
While the day gets hotter
the colour of the pool changes
to a lighter hue
and just across the road
the beach is full
of people lying in the sun.
Some swim with the waves
breaking white
and some are deeper
in the aquamarine water
and still deeper
some surfers
are riding the waves
the of a navy blue ocean.
poem by Gert Strydom
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