the mornings are fantastic

quality lately. they shine in a way

evenings dream that they could.

it's late in the summer

or beginning of autumn –

it depends on the calendar: august

ruffles trees through last leaf. a child has a go

on a swing in the playground

for a minute while her mother

comes around the corner

carrying things. crows argue over

a torn open rubbish bag

left out by someone at night.

the program on the radio annoys me.

I don't change the station:

it sometimes plays perfectly

classical music. in a moment I'll pick up victoria

who doesn't have a car and she'll tell me

good morning! – then sleep until we get

to the office. I'll buy her a coffee.

moving the car I occasionally pause

so as not to hit pigeons

which cluster by the cobblestone market

and are slow to get out of the way.

DS Maolalai has been described by one editor as "a cosmopolitan poet" and another as "prolific, bordering on incontinent". His work has been nominated thirteen times for BOTN, ten for the Pushcart and once for the Forward Prize, and released in three collections; "Love is Breaking Plates in the Garden" (Encircle Press, 2016), "Sad Havoc Among the Birds" (Turas Press, 2019) and “Noble Rot” (Turas Press, 2022)