I peer off the deck at the swimming pool far below, its underwater light illuminated purple. My friends eagerly pull off their shoes, then clothes, and step up onto the railing in their underwear. “It’s all how you land it,” one says as they start leaping, inciting cheers and high fives. I take off my boots, then socks, and climb up carefully, the wood cold and rough against the arches of my bare feet. I balance there, moving imperceptibly forward and backward, gazing down at the boys, their bodies bare, strong and free, floating together in the shimmering violet light.
Amy Allen's poetry chapbook, Mountain Offerings, was released in 2024. She lives in Vermont, serves as her town’s Poet Laureate, and owns a writing/editing business. www.allofthewritewords.com/publications Instagram: @aallen50k Threads: @aallen50k X: @AmyAllenVT