Māia Te Whetū
Koru
Tomorrow was that summer Nanny Mako was lucid
Last week I will grow a kōwhai tree from my umbilical cord
Late November drums a tectonic pulse
birthing Rarohenga on Parliament lawn
sweet algae bubbles from the tuna’s mouth
biting into memory
In devotion, we become
everything we can see
and won’t, ever
If we reach far enough
could we meet in Te Kore?
disintegrate into potential
watch a tentative thin dust
together, and expand
and yea, I will (not) be late
coz time is just a spiral
and I’m busy – crawling
feathered and wet
purring into return
to the womb
Māia Te Whetū (Waikato Tainui, Ngāi Tūhoe) is a takatāpui writer and bookseller born and raised in Ōtautahi. Her work has been featured in takahē, Awa Wāhine and, most prolifically, in floating pieces of scrap paper found in jacket pockets.