Poem 156

From Greek to Māori mythology – closer to home but still off my turf? … these modern ‘brothers’ are both white and brown but exhibiting the same greed and self indulgent delinquency as the originals …

( Shane is the reluctant Western movie hero – I love the image of Māui as the Māori Shane gunslinging at the sun and unknown fish from the great depths … )

Te Ika a Māui

I remember how with their spears
Māui's brothers
ruined the even temper of the land
scratched it dying
bucking up into hills

down to them that I slog myself sick
up this bit of Wellington
to look out and see
brothers how you bred
how you still sting here like insane bees
or drop doped with smoke
crackling underfoot

and Māui in the end snapped up
in such a set of rotten
circumstances
the hired hero
with nothing to leave that his family
had not already scarred
and called their own
                                     Māori Shane
gunslinging at the sun
and unknown fish
from the great depths

in the socket of this harbour
the picked eye
he stood to call his brothers back
throat torn with the long tension of the line
voice smeared with blood
as if the jawbone hook pierced his cheek
or into his shoulder
the mad brothers
ran their points