Tuesday, April 13, 2010

it's all just life and death

You rest one hand
gently,
oh so very gently,
on your son,
reach over the waka tapu,
smiling through
your salted desolation,
stroke the baby-cheek
of his sister’s son
his nephew
your grandson

I smooth out the dirty,
crumpled, silver paper star
tangled in the grass
where I sit aware
of every sign of life
even of the pressure
of my finger
against the nail
as I smooth
over and over
and over.




Waka tapu = coffin

2 comments:

  1. Very sad Cally. I don't know the circumstances behind this poem for you, but I wish you all the best.

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  2. Me too Cally. Ditto to what Johanna said.
    x

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