Learning to Swim

sky above, water below

Montreal Sunrise 28 April 2026 — photo by the poet

My past catastrophes
have been haunting me lately, in dreams
and in my waking mind
but with the hope of crushing
the bad karma I’ve amassed
into a powder at last

held in my open fist
and released into the humble wind
of ego letting go
before I’m forced to admit
the window has closed on me
and my pride has grown too old.

What I’ve been given is,
it seems, a second chance to repair
the circuitry of grief
in the fresh air, like a leaf
unfolding on an old limb,
like a rock learning to swim.

Suddenly a change comes.
The leaf is joined by a host of leaves,
the rock finds fellowship
at the bottom of the pool,
the dawn comes, shining brightly
on the glad assembly.

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