LIFE Poem: Swimming in Circles, by Jordan Corley

The water will sting your eyes at first—
I wish I would’ve said.
The chlorine will stain your youth,
Strip away the layers of childhood,
And bury you in your thoughts at night,
When sleep taunts your tired eyes.

It will be challenging,
I would’ve warned—
But you’ll make friends
Who understand the fragility
Two breathless minutes hold.

They’ll share your tears when you cry in anguish,
Because nothing is ever good enough.

You’ll hate it sometimes,
I would’ve cautioned—
Are you ready to give up peace?

The rush of cold water
That once soothed your mind
Will now enrage your indecision,
And spark constant conversation
With those piercing thoughts of doubt.

Years ago, I would’ve cried
When my hand scraped the plastic dividers,
And my eyes mistook the walls for space.

But I was molded from chemicals,
A stopwatch, and brisk mornings
Spent in a chilled pool, moving in clockwise circles,
Monotonously pounding the water’s edge
With arms slowly dying,
Desire crying out.

No sleep for those with heavy shoulders,
Weight pressed down by memories of the past.

A past
I wrote a story about once

About the heartbreak of childhood ending
And the truth that learned things can’t be unlearned,
As easily as they spring new life

When ingrained within a thought.
But I changed the ending,
Never read the story again—

Because you said I was being unrealistic.
Still, the water flows onward,
Carrying all the words I never said
straight into the ocean.