Waitangi Day Poem

2/13/2013

 
Waitangi Day, Porirua   By Vivienne Plumb

The best place to be on Waitangi

Day is Porirua, and I gaze

up and the clouds right above me have

elongated themselves, so they resemble

ribs, and I look out as if I am

inside the body. Tahi, rua,

two moons in one small month and they are

calling them blue. Paua fritters three

dollars, big yellow blow-up bouncy

castle, flax bangles, sausage on a

stick, watermelon, eight guys in a

Waka on the still lagoon. Bhuja.*                 *An Indian snack of toasted spicy nuts   

An Indian woman sells me bhuja.

Porirua reggae is the best.

It is Bob Marley’s birthday, stir it

up little darlin. The men wearing

lava lava beat the drums, the kids

jump in the fountain, hangi be quick

only four dollars for a good feed.


Comments are closed.