Today is the fortieth anniversary of the Wahine disaster. The house where I grew up overlooked the harbour where this took place.
April 10th 1968
Every year we made the journey
stood on deck watching the wake
draw a thread between islands
north and south where grandparents, aunts
uncles and cousins mirrored each other like
left and right sides of a garment
Back home we watched the ferries pass
morning and evening as sure as
sunrise and tide fall,
tide rise and sunset
Maori, Rangatira, Wahine
That stormy day we watched the broken ship
drift onto rocks, list
the fleet of small craft weaving back and forth
trying to darn the hole in the harbour,
trying to stitch the ship to shore
Thursday, April 10, 2008
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5 comments:
This poem has a great rhythm. I can feel the past in every line.
Sorry I haven't visited your blog in so long. Your poems are wonderful.
nice extended metaphor in this, moving memorial to the event
Great to see you posting again!
As usual, you tie your poem up with a fine end line. That must've been quite a memory for you. I guess there would be more than one poem come from witnessing such an event.
Hi! Fantastic imagery! I'm aiming to use your poem in class, as we're looking at New Zealand disasters next term.
Fascinating to read the history of the disaster, and your poem is a lovely personal narrative with rich imagery.
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