One Poem For The Pool Swimmer, One Poem For The Ocean Swimmer

Courtesy: Michael Zahn

Pool Swimmer

Below me,
the pool vacuum
sucks up my sins.
The workout ends,
I climb out,
the droplets slide down my skin,
I shiver.
Baptized,
refreshed,
forgiven.
Again.

Ocean Swimmer

My sins dissolve
in the limitless sea.
Unselfishly,
the infinite ocean
accepts the failings
and flailings
of puny me.
My faults, my faults —
feel the salts
scrub them away!
This is my mosque,
this is my temple,
this is Communion:
The water and I exalt
in holy union.

ABOUT MICHAEL ZAHN

Michael Zahn, a member of U.S. Masters Swimming, lives in Central Florida.