Way of the water

 
 
I submerge into water  
 
remembering  
how I learnt to  
point my toes  
 
thumbs down  
elbows up  
 
feet turning into  
little flippers in  
a short space  
of an hour,  
 
learning to retrieve  
bricks in the deep  
end of a 25 m pool  
 
how I never wanted  
to return back home,  
 
I wanted to dive
in just like my
heroes did  
 
seeing Ian Thorpe  
enter Olympic pools  
like a giant Thorpedo  
 
carving a few arm  
strokes then doing  
a flip turn without  
causing a wave,  
 
gazing at  
Michael Phelps  
 
slapping his arms  
across his body  
before making  
butterfly stroke  
look like an  
effortless  
crucifixion,  
 
that's what happens  
as water arrives to  
greet your body  
once again  
 
you become  
a part of it.