The Widow Wyile swings
her arms backward
pikes her body
bottom deep
vee
as her toes emerge
to greet the sky
before heels and soles
            splash
to bring her up flat again
as her hands and forearms
wave and fan
and so she inchworms
body below the surface
all the while skillfully avoiding
a nose full of water

the chief trick of this swim stroke
it has pleased her to invent
            though onlookers
            shake their heads
            mutter about inefficiency
            and miss all the fun
still she practices
            perfects the fling
pike
            leverage
                                    splash!
again
and again
oh swimmers all
            try it    do!
reverse dragonfly is a challenge
a backstroke butterfly for fire breather
dragon swimmer sillies
who smile knowing the thrill
of keeping their noses clear 

but if you do not fancy it
there’s leap frog stroke on offer too
stretch out your arms
and pull down hard
raise your knees
right to your ears jockey style
then with great hilarity
kick them out long behind
propel yourself through silken
cool waters
thinking how fabulously
you leap over fluffy
imaginary sheep
            as frogs do      boing along
                        saute mouton
                        sans personne
                        juste toi
                        dans un lac
                        c’est ben le fun
                        hop hop
            kick
                        pis relax
                                    hop hop
                                         kick
                        pis       relax
or flip back to your back
            to fly
                        pike                 splash!