Swimming is not my favorite thing.
Cold to get in, wet to get out.
Feet and legs do their job on land.
I am a human, not a trout.

The more you work at it, swimming,
The harder it gets to improve.
Body fat down, body sinks down.
It’s not a sustainable groove.

People feel like swimming to me:
The more I meet, the more I fear.
More people to fail and let down.
But I need some friends around here.

She swims with a green mermaid tail.
Quirky and difficult and cool.
Introverted like me, but she
navigates with ease at this school.

I see her at clubs, church and dance.
We go for a hike in the night.
My words are stunted, splashing feet,
But I think I’m swimming alright.

I’ve dipped my toes in the water.
No shark teeth have bitten me yet.
Maybe next year, I’ll take the dive
Make friends of the people I’ve met.