In Between
Background image: Gerard Marques from Unsplash | Face of woman image from: Hannah Popowski from Unsplash
Because I was fourteen, the icy cold Pacific Ocean warmed to bathwater within minutes of immersion. Beyond the official beaches, after scrambling down a wooded ravine now collapsed into itself, lost to time. / Leaving my swimsuit on an algae mantled rock in the shallows, I swam back and forth, perpendicular to the shore, far enough out that my nakedness was known only to the water. / Long pale limbs and torso, temporarily protected by the water from self-criticism and the newness of the male gaze. Dog-paddle, otter-floating, moving with, and alongside the waves. / Gliding through the briny water, drifting seaweed, my shins bloodied and stinging from barnacles. Water, then clean-enough to harvest crabs. In the distance, the pier — and further yet, Mount Baker. / My friends shouting to me from the shore: Aren’t you getting cold? (I wasn’t). Not wanting to be called back from this, like a child at dusk.
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Andrea Koroluk
Andrea Koroluk is a new Alberta poet, who was inspired to begin writing creatively again after an almost 30-year hiatus. She writes about chronic illness, identity, and nature. She has previously published professional and academic articles on a range of subjects including hermeneutics, social work, and health care.
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