sometimes there are up to ten kids in our 2.5 metre
above ground swimming pool/
we are a pretty rowdy
mob/ huge waves of water heave up & splash over
the edge onto cement/
mum yells out from the kitchen
window: cut it out you lot/ but she never comes out/
squealing, giggling, fighting/ endless games &
emotions of kids twisting in water/
all energy &
excited shrieking pushed through the rubber tyre/
water lolloping over/ splashing onto bindis & mud
flats/
then some kid crying/ the day becomes stale/
dirt tired & irritable/
the usual fights break out/
snarling, kicking, thumping/ my father gets up from
inside/
hearing the tearful squeals of my younger
brother/ his favourite at the time/
he appears at
the kitchen door/ in silence/ in time to see me
giving my brother's hair a good tug/
i am bigger than
my brother & older/ i should know better/ i release
my grip/ some other kid is kicking me underwater/
my brother sees dad watching/ he starts to scream
louder/ he always does when dad is watching/ the
silent watcher/ scream louder/
dad rushes out of the
house grabbing the plastic metal pool hose/ mum uses
the hose to clean the pool/ but she stays in the
kitchen/
then panic at the huge man/ his face
hardened by inward anger/ all kids including my
brother flee the pool/ bolt down into the backyard/
except me/ i stay in the pool/ it is me dad is
after/
all kids wet & trembling have gone quiet/ mud
& thorns pushing up between each toe/ goose bumps &
no towels/ a couple whimper to themselves/
dad comes
towards the pool & tries to jab me with the hose/ i
try to escape him by moving to the farthest point in
the pool/
he hits me a few times in the breasts/ i
am scared/ who is he?/ he will jump into the pool to
get me/ to drown me & tread on me/ he is angry/
angry/ but he doesn't come in after me/ he jabs me in
the stomach/ i am winded/ i will die in the pool i
think/
a few more jabs & my costume top falls off/
the other kids see this & laugh/ then are quiet/ he
has stabbed me with the metal bit/
there is blood/
drip drip/ into the pool/
i am eleven/ just starting
to develop/ my breasts are important to me/
dad
turning back into the kitchen/ all kids soaking in
mud/ silent the sight of blood/
my head throbs/
humiliated more than hurt/ i sink slowly beneath
the surface/ crying underwater
