Drowning in the Ocean, Surfacing in a Swimming Pool

I am in a dark little cabin below deck on a big, wooden, old-fashioned ship with my friend, another White woman. There is a raging storm outside and the ship is being tossed and turned by the waves. We are tossed about inside the cabin but there are thin mattresses that help cushion our bodies. I say to my friend that we are probably in the best place to weather the storm and feel grateful. I think of our other friend, a Black woman, who is in a small enclosed space on the other side of the ship without any cushioning and wonder if she is okay. The ship lists from side to side and then I feel it go all the way to one side and I know that we are capsizing and that the ship will sink. I take a deep breath in and hold it, expecting to soon be under water, but then realize that the boat won’t fill up with water immediately and it’s better to keep breathing while I can. Then suddenly I am underwater and alone, swimming to the surface. When I come to the surface I see a nearby shore populated with people and buildings. The time feels contemporary and I am in shallow bay or lake. Then suddenly I am in a large swimming pool where swimming lessons are happening. I swim to the edge of the pool and cross over into a narrower strip of pool with much colder water. I quickly climb out of the water onto the pool deck.

(If this was your dream what would it be about? Comment below beginning with "If it was my dream..." or "In my imagined version of this dream...")

© Genevieve Camp, Hand Made, 2025, magazine collage, 5” x 8”