a soft october air

DS Maolalai

sunlight falls softly  
through a soft  
october air. lands on  
the gutters, on cars  
and crisp wrappers  
which scuttle like rats 
amongst buildings. the
trees strip compliant  
to weather's  
approach, drop  
all their jackets  
as a favour  
to pavements.  
walking up
smithfield and up
into stoneybatter:  
the light a dropped
mirror; cold air,  
rising breath. 

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DS Maolalai has been nominated eight times for Best of the Net and five 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)

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