Aukaha

I First Heard Woody Guthrie At Moeraki
nā Rangi Faith

I first heard Woody Guthrie
at Uenuku –
we were leaving
and there was no going back –
it was the hour,
and it was the time to say goodbye;
soon we would be sailing –
I thought it was the bus
but they sang about a boat
going far across the sea;
there was a sadness
and a slow shuffle
to a door that stretched high
into the clouds,
and I the height of each black tire
dressed in an oversized coat, but warm;
I followed – a hand on my shoulder –
then onto the bus and up to the windows
& a line of faces, & a chorus of voices singing –
so long,
as the bus moves,
so long to the urupā
so long to the marae,
so long to the people –
and once we hit the main road
and turn right to Arowhenua
there is a deep silence
that stretches
and stretches
with another sadness until
a voice sings and we all join in.

Taonga Pūoru
nā Teoti Jardine

Shapes carved with perfection
embrace the breath.
Inviting us to celebrate, the
voices of Te Ao Tūturu.

Aukaha is a regular feature that celebrates the creative talent of Ngāi Tahu whānau. If you would like to see your work (prose, poetry or visual arts) published in TE KARAKA, please contact us.
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