Amniotic

 

1. SWIMMING LESSONS

called eggbeater imagine an eggbeater in the kitchen an

eggbeater hand mixer in the back of the cupboard there’s

a wheel that you turn a crank you spin the blades spin alternate

never touch the blades of the eggbeater fold

everything together imagine an eggbeater iron spine like

tied to a chair now begin from your knees now

kick

keep your palms flat your fingers closed you must

invent a surface your body made flat must create

resistance in the water do you know the figure for

infinity back and forth both hands like you are spreading

jam on toast in the kitchen spreading jam on toast burnt toast but

underwater unseen labour that is virtue crack

the egg onto

don’t lose focus don’t forget about

your legs about between your legs they never touch

you spin work your resistance resistance is what

lifts you up work hard we see your chest out rising from

your strength that keeps your chest high rising from

the water keep

can do anything be whatever you want to be you must

we know you can we know you can be this will save your

keep your head

up head up it’s

not swimming it’s something else

2. TRICKS WITH EGGS

I know an experiment to get an egg inside a bottle by setting it on fire

no that’s not it

I know an experiment to get an egg to swim in water

add salt

and there’s another egg trick with swimming another experiment I know

an experiment where the egg’s unbreakable if you only press

the right place

can turn an egg into a mirror

not telling

trick with a candle

I know

the difference between hardboiled and raw

one spins better

you can make an egg see-through with vinegar

or you can tie a bone into a knot

try it

also a joke about me that my childhood pets committed suicide maybe

they were sick nothing to do with swimming except the turtle the fish and

there is another joke about me but I don’t

know it

3. VARIABLES TO BE CONSIDERED

physical

fitness desire

to live (will

power) familiarity in the

water water

temperature air

temperature current wind speed

waves

weather

sharks

the cut line’s in space, no one can hear you scream but I can’t remember the movie just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water is jaws II with underwater cameras cameras watching from below when I was born I broke my mother’s body broke in and out when I was born my father missed the eleven o’clock news when I was born they said it’s a girl so many lessons badges levels testing testing life saving artificial CPR I never learned to testing testing when god said to noah how long can you tread water everybody laughed except noah or maybe noah laughed too for a while then he stopped treading water is movement fighting movement treading water the force of work against work never reaching out efficiency of fear as economy of movement all the fight of keeping your head up cutting itself with all those rows of teeth imagine an eggbeater straight-backed resistance the möbius motion spreading jam on toast patting a dog’s head good girl