Saturday Mornings at the YMCA Pool
I remember the first time I put him in the water
He ran in place, paddling his skinny arms to propel himself forward
Not one ounce of fear in his eyes
Yelling with such joy he was not able to keep his head above water
Eventually he would sink
I'd be right by him to pull his head out of the water
With his face wet, coughing up chlorinated liquid, there was always a smile
on his face as he'd start his engine back up
After a few weeks we took the floats off him,
they were no longer necessary
A week later, this four foot tall kid was moving around
in the twelve foot part of the pool like it was a puddle
He still will not jump in on his own
He'll go right to the edge, pretend to make the leap
then laugh as I pull him in
But he loves it when one of the lifeguards,
or his father throws him in
With arms spread wide he flies forward,
deliberately landing in a belly flop
I've never seen a forty pound child
make a bigger splash
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