Mea Andrews

Treading Water

I have seen thighs
      synchronize, quadriceps
               bathed aqua
       tightening, push
release

        underwater arabesque,
   bathing suits a unit,
uniformity I
    never had
        at any pool or

    
beachside. I envy the sharp
      point of their
               toes and the circles
      of their hands, every

 
        movement focused
   on treading water
beautifully.
    I’ve only juggled
        bills, student loans, treaded

 
my husband, my
      mother, the walk
               downstairs so quiet
       my hands on the wall
to support my weight


        to stop the creaking. I’m wrapped
   in the iron brown
waters of a river
    that has spent its lifetime
        eroding mineral deposits,


bare survival of simply
      moving forward, no
               time for chlorine
       cleansing or graceful
sculling. I swim frantic, twice


        a month I automatic
   deposit, gulp in air
and get pulled back under.

 
 

Mea Andrews is a writer from Georgia, who currently resides in Hong Kong. She has just finished her MFA from Lindenwood University and is only recently back on the publication scene. You can find her in Gordon Square Review, Rappahannock Review, Tipton Poetry Journal, Potomac Review, and others. She was a 2022 Pushcart prize nominee, and you can also follow her on Instagram at mea_writes or go to her website at meaandrews.com. She has two chapbooks and poetry collections available for publication, should anyone be interested.