A POEM A DAY

I'm just happy to be here.

Tag: swimming

April 16, 2025

12/30 – Wherever I am

After swim class, Mateo falls asleep

on the way home. The water wears him out.
We eat oranges after class.
The drive home is13 minutes long.
By the time we get
to the garage, he’s dreaming. 

I lift his body out of the car seat, 

my hands find him without
hesitation.
His breath is slow and deep.

When I hold his body against my body,
his head finds the groove in my shoulder.

The moment I put him down, I’m going

out of town. So I say a prayer for
Stillness. I say a prayer for
your Goodness.
I swear an oath to you
right then and there, without sound

and without hesitation. 


Son, I promise I’m always with you
I carry you wherever I go

I say your name aloud

I repeat your name
so the record of the Universe

echoes and goes wherever
I am.

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April 8, 2025

5/30: Starfish

I think water is your element

In swim class, I hold your body

as the water holds us both

I used to hold my breath 

each time your head went

below water,
Now I exhale

like the bubbles you’re supposed

to spit out each time the water

goes into your mouth.
The smile on your face reflects
off the water

When you kick your feet,
it feels like you want to fly

swells and swallows
me whole.
I whisper, where’s mama?
And your body is a ship
set for shore, for True North

Mama is a lighthouse,

a silver smile through the storm.

My head so often

bobs beneath the water,

and I lose my eyes when

I hear your muffled voice

echo like a firework. I overhear another parent say,
you’ll never get this time back
The words rise and fall over me

like hands on a clock,

and when I look over my shoulder,

I see class is over.

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