ANN LUCE
Swimming into Poetry
Films of swimming in bodies of water paired with poems the water inspired
Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park
I am here,
Euphorically gazing up at these mountains rising out of this lake
Out of this valley. Straight up into the air.
I am here,
Where the sometimes snow-covered mountains surround our
Campsite on Jenny Lake
I am here,
Contemplating going into this brisk and beautiful lake on a day
When the air is cool and the sky is unpredictable.
I am here,
Giggling and slipping on these mossy rocks, sliding
Almost crawling before I fall into this sparkling lake.
I am here
Swimming, present and centered, breathing yet breathless
In this gorgeousness.
What is this color?
I am here
Immersed, in a portal of a changing color there are not words for.
Is it deep teal, or dark aquamarine, or cyan,
Ocean or Celeste or turquoise, or jade?
I am here.
I am transformed, I am the water, I am present.
Be the water, be the lake, be the ocean,
You are here.
​
Lake Superior
​
When I step into the cool clean water of Gitchee Gami
Great Sea Water, I consider the superior features of Lake Superior
A big lake which has the most surface water of any lake
And holds more water that all the other great lakes
Combined—10% of the worlds surface water.
settled many thousands of years ago by the Laurel people,
Then Dakota, Minominee , Nipagon, Noauet and Anishinaabe
All settled around its giving shores. By mid 1800’s
Anishinaabe first people had settled on all areas around Superior
many different camps, different settlements,
Revealed at the mouth of the Michipicoten River
where 9 layers of encampments were uncovered.
Formed when the last glaciers departed, Lake Superior
Is only 10,000 years old , and when the glacier departed, it left
Over 400 islands , 300 streams and rivers that empty into
this superior lake covering 82,000 sq. Kilometers
And is about 1300 miles, 2000 kilometers around by car,
less by canoe or kayak.
More than 80 fish species live in the lake with more invasives
Trying to enter each year. Around this great lake, more than
58 native orchid species live in harmony with native species of trees and
Wildflowers, berries and mushrooms, food that feeds the body,
food that is medicine. The weather is named “Lake Effect” and
can cause over 200 inches or 5 meters of snow each long winter.
The clearest parts of the lake have the least amount of nutrients, but
Provide visibility from 6 to 30 meters under water.
Superior is a little ocean and can be wild and unforgiving
With over 350 shipwrecks witnessed in Lake Superior
about 10,000 lives lost—Superior is said not to give up its dead
Because it is so so cold at the bottom.
Swimming in cold Superior I remember the legend of Mishipeshu
The powerful water panther of the lake. So, if I do not come back,
I will have a beautiful numbing departure
honoring those who have gone before and others who lie
At the bottom of this cold deep fresh water sea
​
Aquamarine
​
​The aquamarine on my finger
Reminds me of swimming in
Layers of green blue water.
Aquamarine, Sea water stone,
ruled by the moon
Brims with feminine energy.
Aquamarine of healing power
Peaceful flowering
Protecting and purifying as
I move through life,
As I swim through bodies of water
Protecting and purifying
As I tap the positive energy
Linked to this mermaids stone
Conjuring up purported
Courage and faith.
Connecting with water the
Origin of life
Deepening my meditative state,
Allowing mind and body to be one.
Aquamarine legends live in
My swim through life.
The color pulls me to the water
Nourishing and purifying
Surrounding me in a womb-like caress.
I am pulled to the center
Then back to the shore,
Moving toward wholeness
Then back to the home shore.
Moving toward connecting
To divine mystery,
Then back to the familiar
Moving forward to the laughing playful water
Then back to the seriousness of life.
​
Green Pacific at Drake Bay
​
From up on the hill where we sleep,
the ocean murmurs its rhythm,
But as I walk down the hill to the beach,
I hear the deep rumble
And slow roar of the waves,
a surround sound symphony of the sea.
While the waves seem gentle,
even a slow tall wave can sweep me over.
But once I am beyond the breaking waves,
I am swimming in a green
Fog, an ocean of calm .
the buzz and chatter of the shore are left behind.
Only the muted waves and
the sound of my breathing – bubbles of air
Splitting the water. A solitude
to be savored - this green ocean swim.
A meditation on moving through water
in this small sliver of the great
Pacific Ocean, this vast body of water
that sweeps into our little beach.
This great Pacific Ocean is connected
To the cold Arctic and the Atlantic and
Caribbean, then moving across the globe the
Indian Ocean then the Southern Ocean and back
To the Pacific, this ocean that connects all the other
Oceans of the earth. This great ocean that shows us all water,
all oceans are connected.
This water that is part of our past and our future,
This water that is our bodies, that is us.
​
Bde Maka Ska
​
Swimming in Bde Maka Ska
Lake White Earth, I come through the former
Dakota village imagining lodges on the
Graveyard hill above
Biking through Heyote’ Otunwe
Cloudman’s village, where the Dakota
People planted gardens near the lake.
Moving past visions of the past
I acknowledge and pay tribute.
I honor planting and harvesting,
Drying and cooking, hunting and gathering
Preserving and storing, honoring and
Celebrating, and giving thanks.
I enter the lake near Heyate’ Otunwe—
Cloudman’s village on Bde Maka Ska
Lake White Earth, Bde M’Doza
Or Loon Lake. I imagine children
Fetching water, cook pots on fires,
Canoes along the shore, fishing and foraging,
Washing and swimming, playing laughing.
I step into the jade green waters,
Clean and clear for a city lake
But sullied by run off,
Algae thrives in the shallows.
Yet, the water welcomes,
fish move below in the weeds
While a loon dives further out.
Kayaks and sailboats and
Paddleboards in the distance.
Swimming in Lake White Earth,
Bde Maka Ska, I pay homage to the
Dakota land on which I stand and swim
Dakota ancestors of B’dote
The Creation site of the Dakota people.
I am in the clear water of the Dakota Oyate.
I give thanks to the ancestors of this land
To the plants and the animals and
To the water that is life
​
Full Moon Swim
The full moon beckoned to me all night, enticing me to
Celebrate this Harvest Super Blue Moon.
As the moon was setting in the dark morning sky
I slid into this warm city lake under
The stars and planes and early morning traffic sounds.
Still it was peaceful , worshipful swimming being
Guided by my mother the moon.
Swimming under the Rice moon, the Manoomin is ready,
Swimming under the corn moon, the corn is ready.
Swimming under the harvest moon, the harvest is ready.
I am one with the harvesters who are
Bringing in their crops by the light of this moon,
Securing their food for this month of September,
and their food that will be stored for the future,
and securing the food of the spirits.
The full moon touches our ancestor memory ,
Affects all living creatures in mysterious ways.
Now is the time we celebrate the equinox
The balance of light and dark,
The equal measures of day and night,
The blessings of the light and the
Peace of the dark, we celebrate our father the sun
And our mother the moon.
We celebrate the wonders of our earth ,
the mysteries Of the universe, and
The miracle of each day.
​
The Fossil Ledges of Drummond Island
We walk for miles on a rutted dirt road to reach
The fossil ledges on the North Side of the island.
It is hot and sunny, butterflies and dragonflies and
sometimes biting flies as we walk. The jeeps and
4 wheelers loudly bounce by. It takes us forever, but
We know the reward at the end.
500 million years ago ancient seas covered this area
Leaving fossilized sea creatures and coral in layers of
Sedimentary rocks. Limestone and shale and sandstone
Covered this ancient sea bed left in layers that have
Eroded into steps, ledges full of fossils, ledges full of past lives.
The last ice age covered this area and receded
Carving out giant great lakes and thousands of islands and
Left an arc across these great lakes , the Niagara Escarpment.
This ledge of rocky steps into the green blue water
Calls to me. Swimming in and out, in to the ledges
And out to the drop off feels magical, like time travel through these steps
Anishinaabeg have lived in this area for thousands of years –
Hunted and fished and gathered and preserved food.
Ceremonies for thanksgiving and good health , funerals and seasons,
living well in large groups in the summer and small family groups in winter.
The ancestors of the original people still live on this lake
In this world still giving thanks for the beauty and occasional
Abundance of this area. Battling all the modern battles
More easily forgotten in the blue green vision of the lake around
And the steps into this world
​
Tea Water Lakes
​
Sepia toned tea-stained water
Flows into these lakes.
Lakes that have no pollution
From gas motors or agricultural run off
Only canoes and kayaks
Enter these lakes
But brown water seeps in from
Golden amber compost of leaves and
Pine needles, grasses and swamps
Forests and wetlands that
Border these lakes in the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
lakes filled with CDOM-
colored dissolved organic matter.
Tanins and ligins that
Stain and also protect
The life in these lakes-
A complex mixture of decaying detritus and
Organic matter- Humates reflect
The ultraviolet light and keep
The top layer of water warm for swimming
Warm for birds and reptiles and mammals,
While the water below is cold
For animals that require the cold-
Walleyes, whitefish, cisco, trout
and pike, and invertebrates and minnows
that breed in these lakes .
Beautiful as brown mahogany
Beautiful brown that protects
And reflects the
Clouds and the blue grey sky,
Of this miraculous place
Protected so that the grace and beauty of
The natural world, dark waters and
Dark night skies can thrive.
​
Cold Water October Superior Swimming
I acknowledge I am on Anishinabek Nation Ancestorial Land and give thanks for this land and being able to swim in this lake.
Long ago this island, Mooningwaanikaaning or
Madeleine Island was settled by people from the east who
Would come to find this island by following the Migi shell, as
It appeared in the sky which they were told
through prophesy. This island is a beautiful dream like place
which is considered the home of the Anishinabek or Ojibway
people before they were discovered here by
others who then made treaties to obtain great parts of this land
It is here today that I swim, in October the
Water is still warm enough in this bay .
I feel blessed to be in Gitchee-Gumi but I will stay in the shallows
Where I can pretend it is early summer on this great lake,
Breathing, moving, delighted to be in
This legendary location, mustering happiness to be in this life-giving water.
Climate change and planet warming
Have extended the outdoor swimming season
To 6 months, from mid-May to mid-October,
In the Wisconsin and Minnesota Lakes.
Horrified at what humans are doing to the planet, but
Thrilled to be in this lake in
October when the temperature happens to reach the 70s
I will myself to swim as long as I can
Staying in the warmth, marveling at the wavey
Patterns of the sand and the water
But soon it will be too cold for me and I will
Cozy up to the pool at the YWCA for the
Next 6 months and dream about summer lakes,
Imagining a superior swim.
​
Knife Lake
Determined to swim in Knife Lake one more time
Before we climb back into the loaded canoes, I
rose early. Blessed to be on a lake with such clear
deep blue water, swimming in azure from light to dark,
moving in this cool ultramarine rocky bottomed lake.
The water beckoned , the clarity and the color were irresistible.
Slowly at first, then deliberate, I moved quickly
Through the water of this lake on the border of Canada.
Native or first nations humans moved through this area—
Huron, Chippewa, Cree, Dakota, Anishinaabe freely passed,
Fishing and hunting, wild ricing, and hunting and making shelters for the summer months. Voyagers , often led by the Native people, hunted and trapped
Moving their wares through the maze of lakes where
I now swim. With my back to the yellow canoes and
The rising sun to my side ,
I marvel at the beauty of this lake.
I warm and smile when I look around,
wondering if the next lake will
Take my breath away.
​
Swimming Along the Shore at Drummond Island
Stepping into the cool aquamarine waters of Lake Huron,
I am finally home.
Home in my body, Home in my heart,
Home in my spirit
Swimming along the craggy shore of Rocky Point
Drummond Island, Lake Huron, Michigan, Mishigumi
Great Lake, great water before me
Green blue clear cool clean water.
Beneath me the tan sandy dolomite rocks
Beside me—jagged pale grey boulders
Jutting into the water
Focused and driven to be in this lake
I move forward breathing in—three strokes
Then sighing out
Propelling through fields of boulders
Hands carving through the jade waters
Legs propelling
Swimming fast enough to generate heat
Slow enough to take in all the lake holds.
I am one with the water
One with the rhythm
One with my breath.
Pulling the magical water closed to my heart
Close to my core
Meditative swimming along the familiar shore
Through the crystal water
Raising my head to locate myself,
I am unable to stop smiling.
I give thanks for this lake,
This home, this sacred place
My home for a time each summer.
​​
Reef Snorkeling Too Close to the Rocks
Snorkeling in the magical waters of the Galapagos Islands,
Gems of the Pacific that shine far off the coast of Ecuador.
Sliding off the rim of the rubber raft and moving toward the warmish
Waters I turned off my logical brain and transfered to
Sensory creative. I followed the fish,
the vibrant social groups of fish in
sun dappled volcanic rocky reefs. Occasionally
the sea lions swam around us, sometimes the
Galapagos Penguins scooted in and out of the waves.
The fish lured me forward as I trailed their
Flashing- yellow tails, Surgeon Fish with cautionary
Sharp tails, the pink, blue and yellow
Parrot fish, Smiling and jovial
The elegant Angel fish passing through the
Larger schools , then a little farther down
The jagged rocky floor, blue and gold
Snapper sliding through the turquoise water.
The bumphead parrot fish appears
Genius-like with a bulbous forhead.
Sometimes a Golden Ray pulls me closer
To the ocean bottom.
It is meditative calm swimming
Happily gliding with the fish to the
Gentle movement of the current swells and
the tide that rocks me until-- suddenly
These currents seem to be pushing me as I follow the schools of
fish I veer ever closer to the lava rocky ledges
That define the island, rocky coasts that scratch
and tear the skin. already I am too close and each
wave pushes me closer smashing into the shore
closer to the sharp rough volcanic edge
I paddle hard kicking and trying to move forward
Then grabbing on to a rock I steady myself
Through one wave cycle and then another
Then push forward as the wave receeds allowing
My body to move forward, to struggle
beyond the rocks and the crashing waves
then at last I am coasting ,floating , meandering.
I consider the currents that pushed me around, that meet here:
I meditate on the confluence
The coming together of three ocean currents
Which churn and mix and create the nutrient rich water.
The cool Humbolt Current which is rich in nutrients.
the Cromwell current which surges eastward and
runs deep and cool. The warm Panama current keeps
the waters vital and rich with life.
This warm Panama water triggers the breeding season and the
Migration patterns of the creatures
Acting out their sacred mystery each year
Doing the dance of life , moving and mating
And creating. As I take it all in I give thanks
Again for being in this place, and I follow the fish back to the boat
our sweet floating home.
​
Being Present
in the Galapagos
Seeing the water, I smile.
Smile to be in this place
Just being,
Not engaging , not chatting , just here.
I Push in ear plugs, arrange
Breathing apparatus and shimmy from the
rubber boat edge, sliding into the water.
Breathing, smiling, observing.
Deep breaths , then sliding
Hands , head, body into the water.
Here I am , in the Pacific Ocean
In the legendary Galapagos rich with life
Immersed, senses full
I can only observe, only be here
In this moment everything is new,
No expectations, no analyzing .
Slowing down, listening
Watching , moving
in this mystery, this wonder
Where the waves undulate and
The fish roll with the deep
Currents. I will Learn from the water,
Learn from the fish.
Instinctive movement
Settling in, letting the earth move me.
I can only observe
Like a child be fully here
Full of wonder and amazement
Alive and present
Breathing in wonder
Breathing out.
Breathing in amazement
Breathing out
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Moving , breathing
Being one with my body
The water and the sunshine
Just a piece of stardust
A particle of
Plankton floating in the sea
​​