DS Maolalaí has been nominated for Best of the Web and twice for the Pushcart Prize. His first collection, Love is Breaking Plates in the Garden, was published in 2016 by the Encircle Press, with Sad Havoc Among the Birds forthcoming from Turas Press in 2019.
The maintenance office.
outside
cigarette ends
stick in rain
like cherry petals. cotton
crushed white
and tempting birds to landing,
while the walls trap smoke
and keep it
like a key
dropped in your pocket.
men stand circles,
huddled for tired fives
and the yard smells of work-boots, sweat,
smoke and wet leather.
~
Kilbarrack to Tara: 8:45
I like it; going into town
on the train occasionally
like a man with a purpose,
a mind and a serious job. the track is suspended
for a good view of rooftops – they display
far more character
than the bits you see
every day. I am neither the least
nor the most romantic of men – I don’t imagine
that looking down
at houses like this
matters more
than any other direction.
but what? is it not still more beautiful
to see the leaves only, instead of the whole treetrunk? or see
where someone has installed a skylight
and angle a look
inside? and doesn’t your eye light up too,
and focus on the first spark that shines
when you’re trying your best
to get a fire going?
~
How are you
Lucy tells me
she doesn’t like
babbling. doesn’t like
the “how are you”
you have to ask
of a check-out lady
before you buy
your painkillers
or your pot of salt,
your bottle
of table wine. me,
I don’t mind it. like
getting a car into gear. gives me a second
to get my questions ready. I am not
a written character
designed for dialogue,
snapping out meaning
like a flag in the wind. I am a person
and so are you
and that
is all
the “how are you” thing
means. “I am a person
and so
are you. we both
are people
and we understand each other.