Bethany Gaffey

Great Waste

I never really knew my father. My first memories of my siblings are fraught with conflict. And mom? She was so busy with her own life, we were left to fend for ourselves at a pretty young age. Perhaps that’s why swimming in the ocean alone feels like home to me. I find solidarity in the solitude of the deep, blue waves. With years of practice, I’ve learned to listen to the waters around me, noticing the subtle shifts of currents carrying relief in the form of warm patches. My warm blood can only do so much as the water conducts heat from my body at a rate 25 times faster than in air. I take a breath and dive deeper.