The Friday Poem: My adopted name, by Gail Ingram
(Photo: Jake Osborne / CC via Flickr)
A new poem by Christchurch poet Gail Ingram.
My adopted name
this is not a poem this is not a poem this is not a poem this is not a poem this is not a poem this is the wind this is the wind that scatters lines this may or may not mean something to an exclusive group who can read lines who can read lines? who stops to look at the flowers? who knows the Māori name? who knows the scientific name? who knows their name? who gave me my name? what is legal isn’t always right this isn’t a poem this is about a flower I didn’t know this is about growing up this is about growing into a name this is about growing into a country this is not about growing a country this is personal hello i’m tauhinu for example hello tauhinu do you read the wind? do you read the wind?
The Friday Poem is edited by Chris Tse. Submissions are currently closed and will open again soon.
Gail Ingram
Gail Ingram writes from the Port Hills of Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand, author of Contents Under Pressure (Pūkeko Publications 2019) and editor of two poetry anthologies. Awards include the Caselberg (2019) and New Zealand Poetry Society (2016) poetry prizes. She is editor of NZ Poetry Society’s a fine line, and a short-fiction editor for Flash Frontier. She teaches at Write On School for Young Writers and holds a Master of Creative Writing (Distinction). https://www.theseventhletter.nz/ @seventhletternz
