we finally went swimming today,
(our first time
in two years)
and the whole time just felt
like a metaphor of
us—

you flipped me,
dunked me,
grabbed me underwater,
told me to clutch
“that cute little nose”
and hold my breath—

so that i could be
brave enough to try
something exciting
that i was afraid of.

you do this every day;
today,
in the water,

it was much more clear.