All She Could

I swam year-round in high school,
Practicing next to teens who would
Win scholarships, go undefeated,
Represent their country in the Olympics.
I could do whatever they could do in practice.
But in meets, I was not a serious competitor.

New to the sport, I missed qualifying for state
My freshman year. A year later,
I caught the flu mid-season. Still recovering,
Less than a half second kept me from qualifying.
My team in the pool won state
While I sat in the stands.

I transferred teams and transferred schools then.
And either my junior or my senior year,
I was, again, so close to state times,
But not quite there.

My Mom found a coach and paid for a private lesson.
Whatever minor adjustments he made
To my flip turns, my arm strokes,
Was sufficient to allow me to qualify,
Which, in the end, was all I wanted.

She always did all she could
To make our dreams come true.