Pools

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!