Ie Lavalava

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