By John Pass
A kick or two out
against the playful waves
then roll over, look back
so often I've done this, summers
without number, friends or family
on the shore, a ledge
of rock at Ruby Lake
or Lighthouse Park, trees behind
and above them leaning out
for the open light
and reflected light
and my delight not simply
to be swimming, a float
but in the perspective
of people in a landscape
beautifully proportioned
enclosed in a moment
as though in another room
but present, whole, unencumbered -
the sky always blue
( beach weather ) the shoreline reaching
around, away, each way
a point, or cliff, or thicket
of willow, quietly emphatic
of the people, their intimate
isolation, approachable
passing a towel or plum
getting comfortable, distant
but undiminished, and I
alone in the water, ambiguously
proud of them, pleased
to swim in and be counted
among them
John Pass
Oct 24, 2014
Oct 24, 2014 at 11:47 PM UTC
By John Pass
A kick or two out
against the playful waves
then roll over, look back
so often I've done this, summers
without number, friends or family
on the shore, a ledge
of rock at Ruby Lake
or Lighthouse Park, trees behind
and above them leaning out
for the open light
and reflected light
and my delight not simply
to be swimming, a float
but in the perspective
of people in a landscape
beautifully proportioned
enclosed in a moment
as though in another room
but present, whole, unencumbered -
the sky always blue
( beach weather ) the shoreline reaching
around, away, each way
a point, or cliff, or thicket
of willow, quietly emphatic
of the people, their intimate
isolation, approachable
passing a towel or plum
getting comfortable, distant
but undiminished, and I
alone in the water, ambiguously
proud of them, pleased
to swim in and be counted
among them
John Pass
John Pass
Poet
John Pass is a Canadian poet. He has lived in Canada since 1953, and was educated at the University of British Columbia. He has published 18 books of poetry since 1971. Wikipedia
Born: 1947, Sheffield, United Kingdom
Books: Stumbling in the Bloom, An arbitrary dictionary, and more...
Awards: Governor General's Award for English-language poetry
I love the lyrical contemplation of this poem, the imagery and the sheer humanity of it. MC
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