Alberta
I liked it a lot.
this was Calgary,
and our rented house
took the top of a hill, lurching
down a view
which went rolling
past mountains and downward
into the river.
all around the edges
wood hung
like the dribbles
of enormous candles. swamps
with pine needles;
rain
settled on rain.
once
I woke up at 5am,
filled a glass of water
and went to the garden
and smoke
was stalking the street
in wisps.
we were fine,
the neighbours told me,
out early
gathering apples.
the wildfires
were 200
miles off;
we were only seeing it now
because they were bad
in particular this year.
The Puddle
stars pinned
in bright distinction
above the city’s
smudge. sinking
on the dirt
like a puddle
under rainfall.
—Published 27th of August 2020
About DS Maolalai
DS Maolalai has been nominated four times for Best of the Net and three times for the Pushcart Prize. His poetry has been released in two collections, “Love is Breaking Plates in the Garden” (Encircle Press, 2016) and “Sad Havoc Among the Birds” (Turas Press, 2019)
Read more of Maolalai’s work on Pulp Poets Press here