Not Waving but Drowning Not Waving but Drowning "Not Waving but Drowning" is a poem by the British poet Stevie Smith. It was published in 1957 as part of a collection of the same title. The most famous of Smith's poems, it gives an account of a drowned man whose distressed thrashing in the water had been mistaken for waving. The poem was accompanied by one of Smith's drawings, as was common in her work. The poem's personal significance has been the topic of several pieces of literary criticism because Smith was treated for psychological problems. She contemplated suicide at the age of eight
Drowning Common locations of drowning include swimming pools, bathtubs, natural bodies of water, and buckets. Initially the person holds their breath, which is followed by laryngospasm, and then low oxygen levels. Significant amounts of water typically only enter the lungs later in the process. It may be classified by outcome into death, ongoing health problems, and no ongoing health problems. Efforts to prevent drowning include teaching children to swim, safe boating practices, and limiting or removing access to water such as by fencing pools. Treatment of those whose who are not breathing should begin with opening the airway and providing five