by DS Maolalai

the last guy who lived here
grew garden potatoes
and carrots. now flowers sprout up
in that corner each spring – all white
and bright yellow,
like tropical frogs
climbing stems.
I have let them go wild,
but nature will do things,
even when left
out untended. once
a goose landed,
falling like knocked-
over furniture. pawed about,
biting at seedlings and dandelions
while I stood by the door jamb
drinking water and watching it move.

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DS Maolalai has received eleven nominations for Best of the Net and seven for the Pushcart Prize. His poetry 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) 

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