Melted

Tennis competition on a hot summer afternoon: leaves drooping, courts frypan hot. The air-conditioned clubhouse and its cold beers beckon; but first, we all watch the final match to determine who will win the day. Martin, our captain, one set down after a service break, is suffering big-time trauma from Lee’s left-handed kicking serve. The ball fizzes off the court and hisses past his ear and flailing racquet like an angry, overheated horsefly. But Martin is a strategist. Early in the second set he moves into that wicked serve before it bounces high and, as the rallies lengthen, his confidence grows. Teenager Lee is likeable, keen, very promising, but loses his serve and patience, voicing frustration as the unforced errors accumulate. A bad volley at the net, and then it happens . . . a manic full-fronted axe-like maneuver and his beautiful racquet—a recent birthday present from his parents—smashes to the ground, frame dripping over like a Salvador Dali watch. Lee, face glistening (not just from sweat), immediately shakes hands and forfeits. We watch him pick up his gear, trudging out the gate into a lowering sun. I feel so sorry for Lee, despite our win, and wonder how he will explain things back home!

patient spider

spins longer, wiser . . .

confident beetle

strolls through shaded leaves

sticky with silk

TONY STEVEN WILLIAMS is a Canberra poet, short-fiction author and occasional songwriter with many publications in domestic and international journals and anthologies. His work flickers between dark and humorous; he considers this a reflection of our rollercoaster lives. His two poetry collections are Sun and Moon, Light and Dark (2018) and Reimmersion (2023), both by Ginninderra Press.