Great Pond

I was swimming alone late one September afternoon
At Great Pond in Wellfleet when I spotted
Two horses emerging like apparitions from the woods.
Two young girls rode them bareback with ropes for reins.
They were lithe and lovely, wearing nothing but swimsuits and tans.
I thought they were stopping for water but the girls
Rode their horses right into the pond,
Slipped off their backs and swam beside them,
Ropes in hand, as if it were the most
Natural thing in the world. Then
They slid back on and rode the horses out,
Disappearing into the woods.
I was momentarily jealous—
How privileged they were!
But the beauty of the scene
Buoyed me up as I floated on my back
Staring at the vast expanse of the sky.