Waterspray
By Kathleen Bleakley
Published 1 January 2021
I remember us
cycling home from college
summertime, through sprinklers
& back uphill
indian cotton shirts
plastered to our backs
sweat beads on your forehead
lolling in the
warm waters
of your family pool
never cool enough
At the hotel
party
everyone spraying champagne
the cork popped
in mid-air
you dived
into the pool
long black dress
fanning out like wings
of a giant butterfly
I remember at the ward
watching you
in the glass tank
spinning your red sarrong
around & around yourself
spraying me
with your corkscrew hair
shouting they woudn't give me a towel