Midnight Swim
I love this dark and quiet night
far from the loud and glaring light.
Solitary in the dark,
no mewling cat or warning bark.
The whole world in conspiracy
hides and holds and cushions me.
I move through water, side to side.
Through liquid currents, I freely slide.
Palms backlit by an opal moon
that’s dulled by clouds too soon, too soon.
The silence sliced by mosquito’s whine
mars a night no more divine.
Invader of my private night,
I fear its subtle stinger’s bite.
It moves in circles through the air
from shoulder to my neck and hair.
I swat at where it was until
it, alas, has had its fill.
Then it is off, leaving me
the pleasure of my company
devoid of interloper’s claim.
I wipe out memory of my name,
my age, my talents and my ills.
Suddenly, the pool fills
with the spreading whole of me
becoming part of all I see
and touch and smell and feel and dream.
I am, at last, all that I seem.
I float toward light, then climb the stairs,
free of worry and of cares.
If I can only fall to dreams
before old niggling prods and screams
invade my memory to call
me up against the judgment wall,
my whole intent will be fulfilled.
I’ll have achieved just what I willed.
Such are the charms of veiled nights
that cover over daylight’s frights
and lull us to our sleep and dreams
convincing us life’s what it seems.
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 
I needed to relax and thought ‘just one more poem’ I’ll read this one again now, because it relaxes me.
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I actually started thinking about this poem as I was taking a swim long past midnight. I finally got to sleep at almost 4 to be awakened by a bricklayer’s ring at 9:30 or so. Now the sounds are of digging and the breaking and laying of bricks next to that pool that was such a refuge last night. And the jiggling of the bars of the doggie domain as Diego and Morrie beg to be let out to bother the man extending the brick sidewalk. What a contrast.
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A huge contrast indeed! After that relaxing beginning I skipped those parts in my second reading 🙂
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Loved it, so often I worry that people will take one of my poems literally or a fact. We had no swimming pool where I grew up, but we would go “skinny dipping”, and once the girls took our cloths, but we yelled and threatened to come out to get them, that is when they brought them back, quickly~! Thanks for the memories~!
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I think that is a common trick, but usually the other way around.
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And, it is the biggest compliment, Angela, to have a poem read twice. Thank you.
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Awesome!
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Love it~! Thanks for again making my day…. I often will post such a poem I have written, with a photo card of the scene I have taken on my place and they make great personal cards. MVC
On Tue, Oct 15, 2019 at 3:17 AM lifelessons – a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown wrote:
> lifelessons posted: ” Midnight Swim I love this dark and quiet night far > from the loud and glaring light. Solitary in the dark, no mewling cat or > warning bark. The whole world in conspiracy hides and holds and cushions > me. I move through water, side to side. Th” >
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Beautiful distillation.
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Thanks, Dale.
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This is beautiful — it encapsulates perfectly the relaxation of a quiet pool in the moonlight!
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