Red swimsuit with black innards,
Elastic torn and mangled from use.
The first time I wore it
Was last year, at the beginning of swim season.
Nylon stretched like a net
Streamlining my body.
Faster.
Trying to keep up with the rest,
Arms and legs slicing though the water.
We swam in the sun, in the rain,
Even when it poured: we swam.
I smell chlorine, remember
The ache in my arms and legs
Odd silence: being submerged in water.
Shoulder straps slice my skin-
A year later, I’m more experienced
Moving faster through the water.
We have a new team suit:
Taut, newly bought, not yet
comfortable.
The old one is beginning to fade,
Tear apart,
like so much old paper.
It only occupies space in my drawer now.