Young Writers Society

Hello, there! Avi speaking
First, let me just say I adore the title of the poem. Swimming lessons teach you how to live. One wouldn't expect there to be lessons in how to die. I'm just eating up the title and nerding out over it, it's so lovely.
Second, this poem is so powerful, that I'm going to write a whole review of nearly every line. This is beautiful and I adore your writing so much.
Third, please write more poems, I can't wait to see where your beautiful poet's mind takes this.
Okay *cracks knuckles*. Let's get started on the line review.
"there isn’t anything expressive enough
to tell you the ache of my sinking heart
burning in my nose." From where I see it, this line is all about how you have to truly feel to understand. Later on in the poem, you say "you have to experience it for yourself." and I agree wholeheartedly.
"i could say it's like choking
on your aspirations,
but not everything is like something else." This could be interpreted as a hoarse, near-silent scream of "I'm not like you." Which I vibe with.
"how many times must i suffocate on water
and claw my way up for air?
i want to drown in overflowing
sentences for you,
but i always manage to gag on
i love you." In this, you capture the feeling of drowning in everything you need to say to a person, and it's beautiful.
"it’s an utter sense of calm.
like the whisper in low voices
of the tides that cause
those on land
to feel the same serenity." This stanza physically relaxed me. I live by the ocean and therefore travel there a lot. This perfectly captures the peace that wraps around me when I step on the beach and close my eyes to listen to the sounds of the sea.
"deadly encounters often have a way
of being pleasant because
drowning for you is falling asleep." Some people say they have a sensation of falling before they go to sleep. I don't fall, I drown. I descend.
"its harrowing to know
you’ll never truly see
this vast ocean you created in my body.
you’re destined to only know my depth
from signs warning you
to not dive any deeper;
saving you from the fate i’ve found myself in." Boundaries. Beautiful. Change "its" to "it's" and it's perfect.
"because love is the most painful act
and as we both know,
pain demands to be felt.
to love is to lose.
to love is to put yourself through the same pain
in order to understand." Returning to the first remark I made on this poem for the line reviews. I love this consistent theme.
"if through the slush i should hear
of a death in your bathtub,
i know what happened." The sadness in this confidence is bedazzling.
"it's funny, people make such a show out of drowning." It's true. When people are pretending to drown, they're all thrashing and flailing limbs. When people are truly drowning, it's silence and pain and tears forming at the edges of one's eyes from silent sobs. Sobs that can't be heard in the water and tears that blend into the water they're drowning in.
"but then again, drowning is silent.
you never knew." If you cannot hear it, you remain oblivious.
God, my heart. This poem is beautiful. Keep writing <3