Poem by Danielle Kionasina Dilys Thomson
My ie lavalava knows when to part like the seas
So the hot space between my taro thighs can breathe
My ie lavalava knows not to cling to the dimples in my coconut cream skin
She is weightless in the wind
And she touches down with the grace of a manu brushing the earth with sovereign wings
All the majesty of my dad’s sovereign rings
My ie lavalava would never impose her man-made knots upon my god-given waistline
She holds me the way I ask her to
Quick to follow my lead when I am born anew
My ie lavalava sucks in and blows out while I forget that I am clothed at all
My ie lavalava rests peacefully at my feet
She worships me
My ie lavalava rolls and waves like siva hands and island hips
She leaves monarch kisses on the horizons of my Samoan silhouette
Tenderly paying her respects