the air is bright,
clear and cheerful
as puddles of spilled diesel
pooling on the filling
station floor.
I’ve explained things to the staff,
bought breakfast, 7up and cigarettes,
feeling dumb, my broken motor
wallowing like a hippo in a river.
the AA man will be here
in an hour, he says. I’ve called the office –
apparently
they’ve already picked a nickname;
“van diesel”. they found it quick, it’s glorious
and it’s hard to be angry.
I open the car and breathe,
lean on the door,
kick my useless
wheelwell. it sits
to no shift with impact,
heavy
as a bag
full of rocks
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).