Sprung

(Early Morning Barton Springs Swim Report, 3/19)

First Barton Springs swim in three weeks (two weeks of closure for the pool’s spring cleaning; one week of travel over my spring break). Galvanizingly great. Got there later than usual but thanks to the time change still in the dark. Cold, misty. I could see the Egyptian geese by the ramp & gave them a wide berth. Mme Goose took up more than her fair share of the deck, and I thought, Oh, I wonder. My first lap was before sunrise; second through sunrise; third, daylight. I passed two women in knit caps (above) and float belts (below). Their heads were calm and their bodies jogged. I swam and was glad to see both sides of the water, all the way up to the sky and down to the depths and as I passed thought, You see, I don’t go to the pool to pretend I’m running; I go to pretend I’m flying. I’m a smug jerk in motion, is what I mean.

When I got out I followed my hunch, which had got hunchier because of the familiar spring sound of one of the Egyptian geese honking in a military way. There they were, tucked under the lip of the pool, Mme Goose and goslings, too little and far away to count. Tomorrow I’ll count.

I like an extra hour of morning dark, me.