It seems like forever I have been writing poetry. I started when I was five years of age and it’s just something that I have always done. There have been periods of time when I have not written poetry for quite a while, but for the last three or four years I think that I have written more poetry than ever. I read somewhere that if you have anything creative that you do, whether it be writing, or acting or singing or writing poetry, there is something about having this condition that enhances artistic abilities. For me, I write more poetry and better poetry now than I have all my life. If I stopped being able to write my poetry that would be really hard for me. It has always been important to me. Part of that is because I usually write amusing poetry designed to make people smile, I love to read a poem out and to see people laughing and enjoying them. That really does make my day. I really must get on to the resthomes and try to book in to read some poems.
I had booked in to read some of my poems out to some of the residents and visitors, but had to postpone a couple of times. One time I had to postpone because I had a bad cough and couldn’t get through a sentence without a coughing fit. Another the tutor had COVID and so I steered clear of them. I should really try to get back to them both and see when I can come in.
I was telling one of the girls at swimming in the morning that I write poems and I read one to some of the girls a week or so ago. They enjoyed my poem and I enjoyed reading it to them. I was talking to one of ‘the girls’ the last time I was in the pool and said I thought it would be good to write a poem about going to the pool in the mornings.
Here it is. Hope you like it.
Off to the pool
Off to the pool we go in the morning
Still waking up, stretching and yawning
When we first start our time in the pool
A bit of a shock, it feels very cool
We soon settle in and start our routine
All shapes and sizes and ages we’ve seen
All sorts of people, some working some not
start off their day in this friendly wee spot
All of us go there for various reasons
Winter or Summer throughout the seasons
Some come to float and some do a length
All of us have our own special strength
Bobbing about some are using some floats
Gather at ends, just like bumper boats
The young swim club members glide past with ease
Us older swimmers with bad backs and knees
If you come early, there’s room yes there’s oodles
To spread out in the lane, bobbing in noodles
Sometimes it’s nice just to bob and to chatter
As long as you come, it really won’t matter
Don’t get too close and please we don’t touch
Touching is out, it‘s much, much too much
We like to all gather to laugh and to chat
But touching is out, no we don’t do that!
There’s slim ones, there’s short ones, there’s togs that are funky
There’s old ones, there’s young ones and some that are chunky
I’m one of the chunky ones that I just mentioned
Less chunky one day I’m fully intentioned
The lifeguards stand by and make sure we’re OK
A warm friendly greeting to start off our day
We all come at first, to soothe aches and pains
Or aiding our rehab, it helps us make gains
Whether we float, or swim end to ends
We all meet each morning united as friends
Moving our bodies, it’s got to be good
meeting new people from our neighbourhood
Come float, come bob, come swim up and down
Come to the pool, in our little town
My journey with Parkinsons 