by Stacey Lawrence

The town pool splashes
with half naked dysfunction.
Kids in pink hats
and mint crocks skittle by young
moms as they flip flop
to the parking lot, straw bags swing
like empty briefcases.

Earbud clad, gaggles of tweenagers
swagger by
manicured and pedicured,
American Girl Dolls
in cream bikinis
swipe glass.

This is where you learned to swim,
gliding and flying
through cerulean water,
wet mops squeezed
into latex caps, ferocious limbs
smacking behind,
little tsunamis, bronze arms
cascading through blue,
shadows of backstroke flags
wave like Autumn leaves
near water’s edge. we cheer you on,
our lithe Pisces’,
as you flip and twist
through waves
of youth.
&
&

Stacey Z. Lawrence

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Stacey Z. Lawrence teaches Poetry in Northern New Jersey. A Robert Frost House Fellow in 2016, her poem won the 2017 Lustgarten Foundation Contest. Her work can be seen in Chaleur, Dream Noir, Black Fox, Vita Brevis, Big Windows Review and others. Stacey was long and short-listed for the Fish Poetry Prize 2019.

Artist: Indig0