"Some important point" by DS Maolalai

Photo Credit: Tim Foster, obtained and licensed through Unsplash

Some important Point

water rising sickly
to the bone of your ankle.
walking wet lawns,
kicking rain up and birds
in your passage.
earth shining, the foot 
drawing moisture
like a finger on skin
in hot climates. and it rained,
last night, and heavily,
but this morning
is fine as a shirt.

and I remember visiting
malaysia, and a man
(who had once 
been my new wife's
lover) poking his finger
at my shoulder
to score some important 
point. sweat
in all points 
rising, sparking
on the well of my skin
around the end of his finger
and running from the top 
down my arm. 

we were outside
and both having
a cigarette.
and the cold air
of the outdoor 
air conditioning
and the cafe
opened on the road
and let in night. 

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DS Maolalai has been nominated nine times for Best of the Net and seven times for the Pushcart Prize. He has released two collections, "Love is Breaking Plates in the Garden" (Encircle Press, 2016) and "Sad Havoc Among the Birds" (Turas Press, 2019). His third collection, "Noble Rot" is scheduled for release in April 2022.