Swimming in July
I used to have these elaborate theories that maybe there was something about the movement of the body and the water that magically sparked a deeper consciousness. But I’ve really come to realize the obvious thing, which is that these are simply the most unburdened spaces in my life, the moments in which I have the greatest uninterrupted intimacy... See more
Maria Popova • Maria Popova — Cartographer of Meaning in a Digital Age
A pool gathers water, and to pool is to collect. […] There needs to be some flow for the pool to keep from stagnating, otherwise it would be called a pond; bathing in ponds, swamps, or bogs is different. A swimming pool holds enough water for people to frolic in, move their limbs, float, or race back and forth. A great deal of effort is made to
... See moreThe pleasure involved in the swim is a necessary part of the ritual, which serves to energise both the swimmer and (it is hoped) the correspondents in the projects, and the readers of/audience for the poems, to provide them with the renewed vigour required to live with environmental degradation without losing faith in the possibilities of agency.... See more