Midnight Swim

• Lola Henderson, Grade 8
• Poetry
• 2022

The sky is black. Painted dark, midnight blue.
Clusters of white stars wink, the only light to guide me in the Stygian night.
Cicadas hum steadily, their chirps filling the expanse of space around me.
Soft wind lifts my hair from my neck and gently cools my pink cheeks.
The air is hot tonight.
I listen to the steady slap of water as it thumps against the concrete pier.
The smell of salt and seaweed filling my nose, drifting around me.
The sea water is black like coal.
A single exception being the slither of pale moon as it reflects off the surface.
The pier groans.
My hands brush along the rail, feeling it’s rough wood, worn away by the wind.
Climbing over it, my feet land on the wet sand with a thump.
The water is ice around my ankles as I wade deep into the salty ocean.
I draw in a sharp, sudden breath as the frigid water laps at my bare stomach.
The dark, shadowy colour reminds me of ink.
Finally, gathering up the courage,
I dive in.