The curve of your leg is a curse,
a net that my hand
traipses in the darkness,
searching for pockets of warmth.

A net that my hand
swirls in the fish pond,
searching for pockets of warmth—
eddies rising to meet your thigh.

Swirling in the fish pond,
a groaning that loops the bloodstream.
Eddies rising to meet your thigh—
the new weight of wet clothes.

A groaning loops the bloodstream
because the curve of your leg is a curse,
and the new weight of wet clothes
traipses in the darkness.

Samuel is a recent graduate from the M.A. Writing and Publishing program at DePaul University in Chicago. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in publications including: Silverthought Press, Threshold, Bitterzoet Magazine, Leveler, and Forge. He currently resides in Colorado.