Stevie Smith's poem "Not Waving but Drowning" describes a man who died while swimming in the sea. Unnamed speakers in the poem speculate that the water must have been too cold, affecting his heart. The central image of the poem is that of a drowning man, waving his hands hopelessly in the air as he drowns. To the people on shore, who see him waving, he looks as though he is simply enjoying himself. The waving, which is intended as a distress signal, is interpreted as a sign of enjoyment.

This poem may be seen as describing a literal accident at sea but can also be read as a metaphor. This interpretation is encouraged by the last lines of the poem:

I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.