As you slide into a pool at age 41,
think back to your childhood
swim lessons at the local YMCA
and what the lifeguards said:
Stay calm to stay afloat
breath arm, recovery arm, your hands
are like a cat trying to catch the mouse
but always a little too late,
think long, be long, even though
you’re the shortest kid in class.
Kick from your hips, from your core,
that’s where your strength is.
Now focus on the constants
you remember from childhood:
the smell of chlorine in your hair and skin,
the line along the bottom of the pool,
the way the goggles suck
into your eye sockets when you press them
into place, how a kickboard
in front of you looks like
a blue foam boat hull.
As you push off the wall
for your first 25 yards in 15 years,
remember what you can control:
clear your mind and relax,
keep the lane line on the right,
curl of your arms so your fingers
smoothly reenter the water.
Count the strokes between breaths,
point of your toes in a flutter kick
and always keep kicking.
Now, grab the lip of the wall and open turn
back the way you came.
–
Eric Carlson is currently a high school English teacher. In his free time, he likes to build things, play musical instruments, and explore the natural world. Some of his poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Litbreak Magazine and Door is A Jar.
© 2025, Eric Carlson
Halfway Down the Stairs 