An Exercise for Class, 2004

3 sketches, all related.

the water-bearers

my father gave me the strong bones in my face
and the tallness of his sisters-
swimmers that knew water,
before their feet ever touched land
I saw them many years ago
combing their long wet hair
on the stone steps of the banks

the discovery

tiny magnificent ripples
each one gliding over the next
in a play of rise and defeat
at five, I realized
I could break the calmness
of the warm glowing surface,
to submerge my legs in darkness
and still float

rebirth

I feel it as if I were there myself
because of the irony
that both separates and unites us:
He who approaches the banks of love
neither sinks nor floats

I am absorbed in this paradox
for had I known you,
I could have loved you
Beneath the shade
of green leaves and spotted sunlight,
my skin is still moist
I have just emerged.