by Laura Rodley
Swim out so easy, frosty
cold water hard to break through
but you do, on top there's a green sweater
of warmth you glide through
to the dock where the new owners
play otter, diving in, out.
On the return the tide of lake
pulls you backwards, each
stroke only takes you half
of what it did on the way out.
Still, you keep on reaching out
upon the water, and pulling in,
saving yourself, saving everyone.
Pushcart Prize winner Laura Rodley's latest book Ribbons and Moths: Poems for Children won Children's Nonfiction at the 2024 International Book Awards.