Beneath their leaves

DS Maolalai

they’re beautiful, and buildings
have been built enough already –
but there’s something in these houses
which lurks behind the leaves.  

it’s the creeping
crawl of ivy, a predator
clinging to brick. strength
holds knuckles – pulls weakness
out of mortar-point.
it is a blanket, like snow
on old cars in worse weather.
a crawling insinuation 

and color on the grey. birds
make homes in winter,
and sometimes squirrels climb,
bobbing vertical like dolphins. I sip my coffee
and watch the wind, visible dipping
in surface, while inside lawyers
prepare their arguments
and real estate brokers
organize homes
for quick sale.

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DS Maolalai

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).