we've been not
fighting quite often
lately. and it's really
much different
from there not
being fights.
we've been being careful.
been saying "not fighting."
"not fighting." like wolves
in the zoo – we're unnatural.
"we're not fighting
about this," I tell you.
"I'm not fighting either,"
you say.
DS Maolalai has been nominated nine 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).