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Alex Swims

Author: Jenny Lester

I ask Alex if I can come for a swim

He and Annie live right on the water

I ought to keep working, he said

Head full of worries, of deadlines

‘Fine,’ I said

‘It might be our last chance, though’

‘Fuck it,’ he said

‘Come over, we’ll go’

And so we go

Into water under October sun’s glow

Do you see how the water reflects the light

How the ocean disappears over the horizon and sight

My shoulders came apart and away from my jaw

I shivered at a thought colder than this cold

Imagine we just answered emails until we got old