“The Wavery Heat”
by Leslie Gerhardt
The wavery heat
The sandy stretch of year
The lacy shade of a magnolia
Bathing in the river, squeal and laugh, and splash
The sounds pitch over the guttered sand
Sun glints around the creek-width black water
Her keen bright face
She lures in full view under a moss swagged oak
The setting sun hangs fire on the white sand
Sand, footprints
Her bright almond face, barefoot around hills.
Men stare at her
She steps a little closer
Dark wide eyes
Her arms under her breasts
She says
The green of her recessed eyes seems to twirl from the axes of
her pupils, not a lapse in her
Steady stride as she steps forward
White plastic jug
The man shambles across the hot sand
The jug full
He cups water in his hands and sucks