48 Smoke Rings
1
I was a student at Navy Diving School,
In nineteen eighty-two,
With swimming, running, and diving all day,
Sometimes things are just made for you.
2
Frankly it was mostly physical,
To sort for those who shouldn’t be there,
But there were some scientific concepts involved,
Like the breathing of compressed air.
3
As you go down to depth,
There is equilibrium,
Between the water squeezing every inch of you,
And the compressed air that fills your lungs.
4
Then as you move back up from the bottom,
You must let the instructors know,
That you are blowing bubbles,
So you put on a little show.
5
One show we all got good at,
Was blowing smoke rings that were perfect,
They started small at depth,
Then expanded on the way to the surface.
6
As our skill and confidence improved,
So did our skill at blowing bubbles,
We kept looking for new ways to show off,
Without getting into any trouble.
7
The instructors gave us our tests,
What they were I have forgotten,
But our private test was swimming through,
A smoke ring rising up from the bottom.