By
Melissa Petrakis
The lips are kept
pressed closed
to open the mouth now
would let the salt water
enter.
Gone are the long days
the early dawns and
delayed nightfalls
of commencement.
Gone are the days
of being toe-deep
being heel
and ankle only
deep in liquid.
The limbs have lightened
but slowed,
everything slowed
movement freed somewhat
from gravity.
No longer the giddy splashing
envious of
strong strokes in others,
no longer the anxious
and furtive diving.
No longer the process
of building up form,
the gratifying
and humbling task
of earnest repetition.
No longer the giddy splashing
the watching others, envious
gone are the long days
toe, heel and ankle
deep in water.
Melissa
Petrakis is a poet, playwright
and artist based in Melbourne,
Australia. Her poetry has
been published in arena
magazine, Centoria, Dan
Poets, Hobo, Meanjin, Moving
Out Moving On: Poems of
Dislocation, Postgraduate
Review(University of Melbourne),
SideWaLK, tiny epics. Her
first book of poetry ;The
Naked Muse; (Domain Press)
was published in 2001; her
second book ;Attic Dweller;
(also Domain) was published
in 2002. She can be contacted
via melissapetrakis@email.com
, and welcomes general comment
and, of course, book orders. |