swim

Home Bay is no
Lake Taupo, but I still felt the
orange coursing through me
this time lashed with salt
and flanked by
three on-lookers

this time I was prepared, bikini bottoms on
(which was just as well, due to the un-company)
and black attire, so as to avoid the water
seeping through (or at least, the appearance of...)

the cars climbing up the bridge's slope
whispering to me still here, just changing
and I knew in this moment
there are things coming in the future
and they will be
great

I just knew.
(there is power in my adult-ish youth, I can
feel it)

and
this time, I ran:
all the way
home.