WATER HUMANITY SWIMMING LIFE SPORT FAIRNESS?

Simple swimming, but where can you swim these days?
forget about indoor pools for a moment
what of swimming free in the rivers, lakes,
oceans from which we came?

I am all for saving swimming baths and facilities
In the urban environment
From the deadudley hidden hands of urban redevelopment
And private sector movements,

But, and, we swimmers should not loose
sight of a future world environment
that is glaciated with access to clean Water,
Water to drink, Water to wash and Water to
Swim in.

Water full of nutrients and life,
a biological swimming facilitiy –
a reproductive and REAL lagoon with real fish and corals?
Plants and a living ecosystem.

In varying scales of magnitude,
humanity can realise this paradise using
the ancient models of Chinese, Indian, Greek
and Roman use of waterways for social functions.

I compose verse and prose about swimming
in the canal, or the cut (as we call it)
in and around the Black Country,
the river Stour, in jest at first.

Years pass and i realize that our water ways
are our life lines, both biological and man-made
water ways, water works and water
bathing facilities seem critical for social activity
in the community.

the list of benefits from swimming are endless
and the competition is good for excellence
Oh, but what of that so contorted and abused term:
sport?

The fair and sporting activity of sport,
The sportsmanship of playing a fair game,
A good game, a sporting game
in which you dedicated
everything you have
gave it your all...the sacrifice
of time and energy.

Opposed to SPORT the name tag
of some minister
or a section of the most unsporting of entities:
the tabloid NEWSPAPER
or a sports magazine, a T.V station
help.


Yes, we like good competition and a good game,
the spirit of play lies at the heart of
healthy economic strategy,
philosophy and some poetry,
and all music, sing a song with activities
widely known as popular sports.

I feel the immersive environment
of the given activity drying up,
no lagoon, no wetness,
not even a foot bath


just a slightly soggy idea about how to distribute
the survival tickets
that will buy the means to
make and break
the rules for a few of the elite authorities
in whatever water-world we’re floating in.

So maybe forget about saving
the old swimming baths of England,
start planning your own swimming bath
and swimming facility.
imagine them, a fresh natural water-world paradise,
imagengine them

Draw, sculpt and sew them, present the
model environment,
animate big and large and share your work
in the streets.

Paint our new utopias and write
our dreams and footnotes to the image
the Art game can capture sport
in a way the news game cannot, i rekon.

The music game captures hearts
in a way writing dreams of
together we stir the components up
show HOW TO.
cast your visions
for a new past present future

--Steve Fly 7/14/09 (edited 01/08/12)