King Llanza

Nimbus clouds cradle clotheslines outside.
A map of silence is torn by pitter-patter

on tin roofs, muffled by beams holding
the ceiling. Water stains soften a wood panel

above, forms a shape of soundwave
that leaks in the middle—there is no need

to decipher the message of clouds.
Screen doors allow cold air to enter

so stand fans can rest. Windows, tightly shut,
are rinsed of their dust, of what took time

to let go. The sky is fickle
for bringing rain; the sun will shower us

soon, like a change of heart.
Its involuntary calmness

makes my open hand clench the grass
so hard I uproot it.

King Llanza (he/they) is from the Philippines. He was a finalist for the 2021 Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize. His poems have appeared in Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Voice & Verse Poetry Magazine, SAND Journal, and Cordite Poetry Review, among others. King holds a MSc in Environmental Science and Ecosystem Management.