A new poem by NZYWF Young Writer in Residence Ruby Macomber.
Father(whenua)
Vilsoni says father whenua has eyes
a silent observer of Google search histories
whenua sips triple shots
while diasporic daughters fumble
fried taro with their chopsticks
Voivoi
weaves protest and joy into the same ‘afa
most people cannot tell the difference but
look
at the geometry
look at the pretty patterns dyed strands make when you play with them
smooth to foreign fingertips
Look at the way colonizers hold ‘afa to their hip
Like it’s loaded
Held their hands up to faces
And said
This is not blood
This is just your ink
Bleeding back at you
Somo strips
don’t really shine in the sunlight but
our skin does
clay cracks in solidarity
Hineahuone, carved from the clay of tāne at kurawaka
calls out pepe
hanisi
your indigeneity is a call to everything that is beautiful in this world
so when the waves break on you
trust the only reason is that they are so used to rolling on the defence
these days
they may not recognise your body
apei mats don’t really make a sound behind military perspex
so crack perspex with te la ‘oe ‘eap
lay the apei out in the sun and watch how it
releases the longest-held exhale of its life
watch it wrap moana nana in its fists
and wrap voivoi around your spine
so you stand taller
iri poised in one hand
tip your fa’paurou to your indigenous brother
Vilsoni says father whenua has eyes
but what use are eyes when the media calls whenua undisputed
neglects the genocide
the land lost
what use are eyes when they are not open
what use are eyes if they are not in solidarity
without mouths to call to action
Look at the way colonizers hold ‘afa to their hip
Like it’s loaded
Held their hands up to faces
And said
This is not blood
This is just your ink
Bleeding back at you
so we hold tefui to the warmth of our clavicle
beautiful are the bodies that remember where they came from
and powerful is the body that lets others know too
Previously published in Sweet Mammalian Issue 10.
Ruby is the Robert Lord Writers Cottage Young Writer in Residence 2023 and will be appearing at the New Zealand Young Writers Festival in Dunedin from 21-24 September. Visit the Festival website for the full programme.
The Friday Poem is edited by Chris Tse. Submissions are now being accepted until 30 September 2023. Please send no more than three poems in a Word document to chris@christse.co.nz.