Whiskey.

he liked it
better than I did. I like
white wine
but there they didn't drink
much wine. so we
drank whiskey. he was
my girlfriend's uncle. we were staying
in his house. and he poured
two glasses of whiskey
and put in
these balls of ice
like dropping
full moons
in the ocean. I sipped it - it was good. though the ice
quickly got it down
from boozy. people like
to buy expensive things
even though they don't understand them
and to visit
their girlfriends' families
even though they don't understand them. we struggled;
our conversation
half chinese
and half in english
and, though he made an effort,
as the whiskey took him
his grasp began to sink. and I
knew only two or three chinese words anyway,
and those
not very well. eventually
we settled
like the moon
into the ocean - making faces
at each-other and tasting
different whiskeys. I was there
for two weeks
and I think
that was the only night
he liked me.


DS Maolalai