Pools
Hot
July days take me back to childhood when we had a pool in our back yard. Not
sure what possessed my father to have it built. Maybe it was my mother who had
to entertain eight children during the summer months. Whatever the reason, that
decision has left an indelible mark on me.
In
the beginning it was great to run out the back door and jump in. A large,
kidney shaped pool with a diving board at the deep end and plenty of room at
the other end for smaller siblings. Aqua blue water with a faint smell of
chlorine invited to one throw off the cares of the world and dive in.
The
flip side of the backyard resort was work. My brother and I were delegated to pool boys. Between daily vacuuming, skimming
the surface for bugs, leaves, salamanders, frogs, checking the chemical level
of the water, and changing the filter there wasn’t much time to splash in the
sun.
Two
memories of the pool stand out: the day we found our younger brother at the
bottom of the pool (he survived the drowning) and the day my brother and I
dropped a gallon of choline poolside; our jeans, tennis shoes and tee shirts
bleached white.
Here’s
an ode to the swimming pool:
Swimming
pools, oh swimming pools, what even to say? The way I anticipate your cooling
embrace all through the day. It gives me chills to think of you and you light a
certain spark. Especially when I jump in and see your inflatable shark. My
affinity for swimming pools runs deeper than an in-ground. Especially when I
noticed all the bugs you’ve nearly drowned. Though our time together is brief,
I cherish your blue waters. The only thing you could improve, is if you were
filled with otters. For the joy you bring me, swimming pool, I will always yearn,
even when I must leave you, because your owners have returned.
An
Ode to Swimming Pools by Kathy Hancock used without permission because the
author didn’t ask permission either!