Easy day

Today has been a pretty easy pace apart from battling the traffic to collect a friend from Heathrow. Just so we all know that I am not the only loopy person in my circle of friends, The woman that we were welcoming home is a 62 year old doctor who runs and swims with us regularly. She has been on a bike holiday in Cuba. On her own. Then for a one week intensive language course in Havana.

On the other hand my plans for tomorrow seem fairly ordinary. A lazy morning and then the 5000 metre Swimathon. 200 lengths of a 25 metre pool. I have done this every year since the event began. Well how often do you get the chance to do a swim of that length without interruptions?

A watery poem to set the scene.

Mermaid 

I

Am

Alone

Swimming

In open water

Sea water

Salt water

It is salty

Waves

Head on

Rise

And

Then fall

Bumpy waves

Rise and fall

Rise again

And fall

Head on

I am small

In the water

Not normally so

But in the sea

I am so small

There’s a surge

The water lifts me up

And then lowers me again

I feel the power of the water

The strength of the current

I try to sight ahead

Nobody is there

They were

But not now

I look around again

Treading water

My hands

Washing

A floor

That’s

Not

There

Really

My hands

Slip moving

Like that repeatedly

Without thinking

Subconsciously

Balancing me

It’s deep

I

Can’t

See through

This dark water

Another surge lifts me

I can see ahead at that point

See where I want to go

The right direction

The wave rises

Before me

Again

Like a cat

Playing

With a mouse

It lifts me up again

Holds a moment now

Then pushes me forward

Suddenly the wave

Drops me

Slaps me

Down

On my face

Sssslllllaaaapp

Ouch I think

That hurt

She swims beneath me

Looks up at me sadly

Swims around me

Then comes back

She asks politely

If I can help

I’m surprised

But not frightened

How can I help?

Tears well up

Big eyes

My hair she says

My hair is so tangled

I ask if she can help me

We swirl as one on a big swell

We can help each other

She is smiling at me

Swirling smiling

You comb my hair

And I will show you

The way you want

I don’t have a comb

I tell her softly

A comb?

You have fingers

She says as if

I am stupid

You must

Swim above me

I will swim slowly

Comb my hair

And I will

Show you

The way

We can

Help

Each

Other

You must

Reach out

To the top

Of my head

Be gentle or you

Might hurt if you tug

She turned a circle

And came back

Beneath me

Looked up

Once more

Swimming

Slowly

On

Her

Wavy

Hair was

Very long

One soft stroke

Through her hair

From top to bottom

Took my hand down

A far as my hip bones

The next arm the same

Long smooth strokes

Tangles fell away

Slipping to the

Ocean bed

MMMM

MMM

She

Said

Follow

Me

Please

Don’t worry

We will get to

Where you want to be

By the time my hair

Is smooth again

Smooth

Again

As I

Combed

Her long

Curled

Locks

The

Sea

Calmed

And the

Waves

Were

Smaller

Smoother

The water

More clear

I could see

The shore

Ahead

Thank

You

She

Said

But it

Was

I

Who

Was

More

Thankful

She turned

And smiled

Radiantly

And was

Gone