D.S. Maolalai

Through the morning

an espresso over ice
topped with bitter
tonic water. a drop of fresh
lemon juice. a garnish –
fresh rind. over our balcony
light climbs like a squirrel
down gutters on saturday
mornings. I walk
from the kitchen
to the sitting room section
in a t-shirt and underpants
and socks. move
through the morning
like a horse on a hilltop,
casual and confident, quiet.

DS Maolalai has been described by one editor as “a cosmopolitan poet” and another as “prolific, bordering on incontinent”. His work has nominated twelve times for Best of the Net, ten for the Pushcart Prize and once for the Forward Prize, and has been 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)