The Fine Art of Full Body Swimming
Dogpaddle
The pool smelled like I remembered. Chlorine and other chemical scents pierced my nostrils. My hair was pulled back in a ponytail and stuffed under a swim cap. I sat with my legs dangling in the shallow end. Jeneva dove right in and started swimming lengths starting with Breast stroke then moving into Backstroke. I kicked my feet back and forth watching her. She moved fast through the water. Her strokes kicked up little spray.
She could swim the length of the pool without taking a breath. I watched her complete a loop to the deep end and then she swam back to me popping up by my feet.
“You planning on getting in the pool anytime today?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Yeah, I guess so. How do you do it?”
She rolled her eyes, pulled her goggles off washing the fog off with the pool water slapping them back in place on her forehead. “Just jumping in makes it easier. You’ll warm up once you start moving.” She tapped my leg pointing to the water.
“No. No. I mean I know that. I will get in. It just takes a little getting used to. With Bryce I didn’t swim. He didn’t swim and I got wrapped up in being married. But that’s not what I was asking.”
Jeneva shook her head and pulled her goggles down over her eyes. “Okay. Fine. You were always asking back then, but my parent’s freaked when I did it so I wasn’t gonna show you too. We’re adults now. I guess it’s up to you if you want to try it.”
I nodded. She smiled. Pointed to the deep end.
“You have to get wet all the way first.”
She dove under the water swimming under it coming up in the middle of the pool again without a breath. I took a deep breath and plunged in swimming after her.
LB Sedlacek has had poems and stories published in a variety of journals and zines. Some of her poetry books are Swim (Alien Buddha Press), I'm No ROBOT (Cyberwit), Happy Little Clouds (Guerilla Genesis Press), Simultaneous Submissions (Cyberwit), and Words and Bones (Finishing Line Press). Her first short story collection, Four Thieves of Vinegar & Other Short Stories came out on Leap Day 2020 from Alien Buddha Press. She also served as a Poetry Editor for ESC! Magazine and published the free resource for poets, "The Poetry Market Ezine," from 2001-2020. In her free time, LB likes to swim, read and attempt to play the ukulele. She recommends the Caldwell Humane Society.
