some nights
we just lean
against each other,
fitted
like books on a shelf. we lie in bed,
closed off
but communicating, comfortable,
inspiring
thought
without words.
other nights
of course
we bang like bottles,
bought
and carried home
in plastic bags,
bruising
apples
and smelling
freshly
of fish
in torn wrappers.
we bang
against
one another,
break our seals
and rattle the banisters,
sloshing with stale
vodka,
clumsy
and easily smashed.
~~~
DS Maolalai recently returned to Ireland after four years away, now spending his days working maintenance dispatch for a bank and his nights looking out the window and wishing he had a view. His first collection, Love is Breaking Plates in the Garden, was published in 2016 by the Encircle Press. He has twice been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
