My pool:

My old childhood friend –

Almost as old as my parents –

The water-y playpen in which I frolicked in innocent and ignorant glory…

And in more recent years the water-y haven I attempt to baptize and cleanse myself –

Wash away the innermost pain of sin and burden from the outside world,

And just be the me from long ago…

Now after having lost yet another summer of potential productivity –

The potential for the chance to grow,

To prove myself in my own way to others for pay,

To the wind –

Not to mention another summer to fully embrace it for what it used to be for me:

Swimming in our pool almost every day,

Having no care in the world about making money –

Or lack thereof –

And all the jobs and other opportunities I wasn't yet given.

At least in the pool in my own backyard,

In the nighttime when no one else would dare dive in,

I can be myself,

Dance to my own music –

Literally or not –

But only for a little while.

So this is to say I'm sorry to my precious pool,

Who had always been there for me when I needed it or not,

And who didn't deserve not getting used as much as it was before,

And I promise not to wave away your waves again –

The water of youth for my aging self whenever I'd enter your water-y embrace.