Danny

Humid air hangs
indoors
as they splash
Blue goggles and palm tree shorts
He ducks and dives and kicks and struggles

Good job, Danny
she says with outstretched arms
He puffs and goes under
and heads for the stairs
Emerging proud and energized
temporarily
before the inevitable nap
on the way home

Moments later,
towel-dried
and dinosaur t-shirted
He shuffles quickly
around the pool
so as not to run
but still hurry

Beaming, he greets me

My birthday is in TWELVE days!
He nearly pees with glee

Wow, and getting taller before my eyes
Is that a t-rex? With glitter, too?
He stares, wide-eyed
Not an expert on dinosaurs?
He blinks

No, an expert on SHARKS!
I can swim fast --
but not as fast as the FASTEST shark,
which is the MAKO, of course!

Of course!

It can swim twenty miles an hour --
FIFTEEN miles more than me

Riveting!

In a feeding frenzy,
sometimes they BITE themselves
They are the FASTEST shark!

He gulps, transfixed

Do YOU know when my birthday is?
Twelve days.
I’ll be FIVE years oldIn TWELVE days!