and yes, sure, drunk
at the wedding
I said some things
to you
which I regret,
like dropping a plate
of potatoes,
but of course
I have my usual excuses –
people
pushing the line
you always get at weddings.
what was I to do
but curl anxiety?
“I suppose
it’s you next,
right?”
the voice
at every wedding
I attend –
date on my arm
or otherwise.
can’t we just
watch the couple
make uncomfortable speeches
without
shitting lead
on any new romance?
bringing a girlfriend to a wedding –
like winning the most beautiful
goldfish,
flapping its fins in clear plastic
and showing it off
to blowtorches.
DS Maolalai has been nominated four times for Best of the Net and three times for the Pushcart Prize. His work has appeared in The Eunoia Review, Kerouac’s Dog, Ariadne’s Thread, and elsewhere. He has 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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