The swimming pool is long gone, but the memories are forever bound.

————

“Ouch”

The rocks are sharp under my bare feet.

The concrete is warm from the summer sun.

My towel is bundled on the ground.

It’s to the water I run.

A whistle blows and a lifeguard yells, “Walk!”

The heat of the day is beading on my skin.

I hear the shouts from children splashing.

I jump in.

From the diving board I hear, “Cannon Ball!”

I swim a full lap.

I smell hot dogs, pretzels and licorice.

Red is better than black.

From the office we sign out a ball.

The net is new and too high,

But we play anyway,

Our bathing suits drip dry.

On Friday night they put up the screen.

Reels making a “thwickety, thwickety” sound

We watch the latest horror flick,

There’s kissing in the background.

On Saturday is the swim meet.

The shouts of parents getting louder.

All of us wearing the same style suit.

We all eat the Jell-O powder.

For fifty years I held them,

The memories of a tender age.

They breathed, they lived, they shouted.

Like an actress on a stage

Yesterday I saw the pool

Where I ran as a young child.

Only to find its aging bones,

Overtaken by the wild.

If I look between the rusty gates,

If I look past the weedy grass,

If I ignore the cracks in the concrete

And all the broken glass.

If I overlook the wreckage,

The ruin that is all around.

I still can see those summer days.

My memories forever bound.

By Sonja McGiboney

From: United States

Website: https://www.jazzysbooks.com/

Instagram: @sonjamcgiboney

Twitter: @smcgjazzy

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