Drought’s End

In sweet heat, sweat beads
Down back’s dry valley,
Sheens breast. Hand winds
Paths from lobe to heel,
From want to hill, chest to
Chest, will to heal, nest to
Nest. The very air breaks
Into rain. Flashes. Shakes.
Laughs at locks. Coaxes phlox.

Philip Metres is the author of numerous books, including Sand Opera. He is a 2014 Creative Workforce Fellow and professor of English at John Carroll University.