Travel jnl Killarney, Ireland

Metamorphosis 

Not a lot of swimming

going on in Ireland.

Few pools. Many beaches,

but water’s too cold.

When my niece and I went kayaking,

the tour guide

insisted we wear wet suits

in case we fell in the bay.

So we changed

in the nearby castle restroom.

I squirmed and squiggled

and pulled and tugged.

If it wasn’t for her

pulling and tugging, too,

while I jumped around,

I would have never gotten into it.

I didn’t fall in the ocean,

so all that work was for naught.

After kayaking, it took some doing

till I finally freed myself of the thing,

like a butterfly shedding its cocoon.

Now, at least, when I swim at the city pool

I won’t feel so self-conscious

after seeing what I look like in a wet suit.