SWIM Poem by Ruth Lasters

‘Swimming is licentiously sleeping in thrashing water'
Paul Snoek
Every swimmer swims a sleeper further
in the other, dark hemisphere. Each floating, each crawl stroke

increases a feeling of weightlessness in those who
nod off on the other side of the world. Someone must now say

that there are always far more sleepers than on the waking side
swimmers, so that it is only possible

if whoever boldly cleaves through water pulls with them
a gigantic imaginary bouquet of side-sleepers,

tummy-turners, back-liers. Somewhere then they must be received
with great consideration after presenting this fully stamped

swimming card.