page 66

Wild dogs under my skirt

I want to tattoo my legs
not blue or green
but black.

I want to sit opposite the tufuga
and know he means me pain
I want him to bring out his chisel
and hammer
and strike my thighs
the whole circumference of them
like walking right round the world
like paddling across the whole Pacific
in a log
knowing that once you've pushed off
loaded the dogs on board
there's no looking back now, Bingo.

I want my legs as sharp as dogs' teeth
wild dogs
wild Samoan dogs
the mangy kind that bite strangers.

I want my legs like octopus
black octopus
that catch rats and eat them.

I even want my legs like centipedes
the black ones
that sting and swell for weeks.

page 67

And when it's done
I want the tufuga
to sit back and know they're not his
they never were.

I want to frighten my lovers
let them sit across from me
and whistle through their teeth.

I arrive again

I arrive again and they all kiss me
I kiss them back
Everyone has grown up or down

Sila has cut her hair
the great aunt I am named for is still sitting on the concrete
even after all these years

and hauls herself to four positions
I am worried about her wrinkled shins.
The mosquitoes remind me my skin

is sweet as the Sky-breakers'
and ripening like passion
fruits, someone will bring me salve.

All my cousins are here
and wearing uniforms:

United States Army
Qantas
WINZ.

Note: Sky-breakers is a translation of Palagi.

page 68

My Dog

My dog name is Bingo.
All da dog name is Bingo.
Bingo is da bad dog.
He bite da Palagi mans on da foot.
Aunty Fale throw da big stone to Bingo and make da sore on Bingo's leg
Now Bingo walk on da 3 leg.

The Palagi mans he's stay at our house now and everybody is very happy 'specially Aunty Fale who is showing to all the peoples of our village how we have da Palagi.
Now Bingo no more sleep under da table because Aunty Fale say he's stink and no good for da Palagi to smell da stink smell.
Bingo he sleep outside and eat da stone.
Only feed Bingo da stone everytime.

We call:
BingoBingoBingo
and throw da stone to him
and laugh
HaHaHa
and da Palagi man shout to us
You kids stop throwing stones at the dogs!

And Aunty Fale call us shit and pig and chase us with da broom and hit us hardhard on da leg and catch Pela by da hair and shake her hardhard till Pela's hair coming out in Fale's hand and Pela is cryingscreaming.

We call:
BingoBingoBingo
and Bingo come runningrunning
and lick our sore.
And grinning.

page 69

Fa'afetai fai mea ai

Everyone eats up to their elbows
we are direct descendants of flesh-eaters

try ripping apart a steaming pig and tell me
that doesn't feel good

there's a reason for all the grease
and who cares if we are fat

huge.
And the noises we make

swallowing the dead,
the pigs scour outside

the dogs dribble inside
if we smell them we hit them

the cats screech like shadows.
People on the road:

the dogs run to rip them to pieces.
Bring us a bowl of water

a cloth
to wash our hands.