Swim Friend

“Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.” —Rumi

It was a whale. Beneath me and to the right, similar to where the dolphin had been tracking me in April. I was on my fifth length, speaking a healing mantra as I swam out into the Gulf of California.

A small whale, which is to say much larger than me, with broad pectoral fins.

I screamed (yes, you can scream underwater, as proven in Florida when I met a shark), and sprinted for shore. After I hauled myself out on the rocks, I laughed and laughed, just as I had the first time I heard whalesong, bubbly with joy.

A whale swam with me. I am still smiling.

Bookshelf:
Romy & Julio
Diary of a Reluctant Traveler: 15 months on the road from coast to coast to coast—solo
Sea Change: stories & splashes
Shoulds are for Saints: the true life adventures of Suzy Le Speed
Dance First …ask questions later: poems & paintings