12 28 23 the first swim
We stood
drunk
in the dark pacific night
at the edge of a rusty red metal oyster fence
and the crabs scuttled by our feet in the pale blue green water
trapped by the oyster fence
I picked up one that was six inches across
admired its soft red shell in the dim light as it tried in vain to pinch me
laid it back down on the other side of the fence
and we strove forward
in our black underwear
diving into
the waveless sea.
the second swim:
the heavens raged
inch long pellets of rain
I summoned the gods,
“Come ye forth Ragnar,
Zeus,
Beelzebub,
Ronald MacDonald,
Medusa,
Ronald Ragan,
Donald Jay Trump,
all you fat bastards,
I will take on any one of you,”
and then dove boldly into an ice cold green wave
pulling myself out of the clutches of the dark sea
I turned and trotted back up the beach stairs to the hot tub
barely holding on to my soaking wet gaunch.
