1
We go for a drive.
2
A woman steps from her hut,
her skin
time-tested like clay,
her thoughts clear like the river
four miles away
where she walks for water.
She leaves her children home.
3
The sudden sand storm
like a whisper of her hair
in the wind.
4
A child opens her eyes
into sand.
5
We leave the car
lights on.
We have to jump start.
6
Light dies if you leave it alone.
7
The sand resembles water
both in taste and memory.
8
The sun does not speak.
9
The woman sends her thoughts
back home
as sand envelopes her lips.
10
We start the car in silence.
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More About
A. Molotkov
Born in Russia, A. Molotkov moved to the US in 1990 and switched to writing in English in 1993. Published or accepted by The Kenyon Review, Mad Hatters Review, 2River, Perihelion, Word Riot, Identity Theory, and many more, Molotkov is winner of New Millennium Writings and Koeppel fiction contests, among others. He co-edits The Inflectionist Review, runs the Moonlit Poetry Caravan critique group, and serves on the Board of Directors of Oregon Poetry Association. Molotkov’s new translation of a Chekhov short story was included by Knopf/Random House in their Everyman Series edition of fishing stories. Visit him at AMolotkov.com.