Poetry Monday: Bodies of Water . . . and Funnies

It's Poetry Monday, and this week's topic is ........ BODIES OF WATER.

Join Diane, MotherOwl, Mimi and me as we wade, swim, snorkel, row or sail through this topic. (Or possibly something else, something related to my poem, something like, say, hyperventilating . . .)

You're welcome to leave a poem in the comments or on your own blog; if you do the latter, please let us know in the comments so we can find you. Use the topic or choose another; just have fun and flex your brain cells. Ready ... Set ... Go!

*****

Before The Fear . . . And After

I've spent my whole lifetime surrounded by water
Yet I'm more like a feline and less like an otter
By which I mean water is something I hate*
Except in amounts that would fit on a plate

But just for an eyeblink (age eight to eleven)
There was a brief time I thought water was heaven
On hot summer days we'd go down to the river
Myself with my brother, and both with our mither

We played at the edges where polliwogs** grew
Into tiny dear hoppers we looked forward to
We waded and peered at the minnows so fast
They bumped us and tickled whenever they passed

And swimming? We did that, with faces submerged
And sat on the bottom, and breathless emerged
The water was cooling and like an old friend
I wish that the feeling had not had to end

My brother grew up; it was no longer cool
To be with his family or play in our "pool"
My mom was reluctant to take only me,
And I was reluctant to be the "only"

The next time I found myself facing the wet
I found I was frightened - it hasn't changed yet
I've taken those classes - you must know the ones -
For panic-struck adults with panic-struck lungs

They helped but a little; a wuss I remain
And drowning's a nightmare that lives in my brain***
Perhaps this explains, then, my mantra, my path:
Always a shower! Never a bath!****



* I know hate is a strong word, but I needed a one-syllable word for "strongly dislike"
** Did  you know that the polliwog (also known as tadpole) was the hieroglyphic for the number 100,000 in Ancient Egyptian numerals? (according to Wikipedia, anyway)
*** Literally a nightmare - that's when I signed up for the classes for panicky adult swimmers
**** True. I feel queasy getting into a bathtub, so I don't

Also, you know those scuba-diving shows like Jacques Cousteau used to make? I can't watch them without holding my breath and getting anxious.

Imagine, then, wimpy me, living in a province surrounded by water except for an itty-bitty isthmus connecting us to the nearest continent, said isthmus being actually just a piece of swampland, and, with climate change, predicted to be submerged in no time flat ... eeeep ...

This is EXACTLY how I feel when I think of "bodies of water"

 (pic from Pixabay)

*****

Who ever came up with this topic anyway??

Oh, yeah . . . that would be me. *punches self* *but only lightly, because I don't enjoy pain*

I don't know about you, but I need something to take my mind off potential drowning scenarios.

There, I feel much better now. I hope you do, too, and that your week is one where you can breathe deeply (an underrated ability) and avoid nightmares of any kind!

Next week's topic ....... TELL A JOKE ....... Thanks, Diane!