Matariki Poems

 

We've spent a couple of weeks writing about Matariki and what it means for us. We've thought about dawn ceremonies and getting up early, and times when we've being up late under the stars. We've given the word Matariki an acrostic treatment (that is we used each letter as the start of a poem) and we've explored the whakatauki or proverb 'He waka eke noa' to think about our shared purpose. This loosely translates as 'We're all in this together'. Some of this poetry features in a Matariki display in the Artsenta windows along with waka sculptures, poems and paintings. Awesome work!

Meaning full
Attribute
Twinkling gathering of stars
Attending the dawn
Reviewing of year past
Interest in what beckons from the new
Kissing goodbye to creatures passed over
Inward-journey-eyes gaze upward . . .

- Pauline

Mystical
Annual
Tradition,
Atmosphere
Reaching
Inwards,
Knowledge
Increasing

Mum and Dads’ birthdays have recently passed
At the time I missed
Their many little doings
A garden overhaul
Recent newspaper cuttings
Interruptions by phone
Kisses and hugs
In touch

- Kate Jenkins

STAR GAZING AT DAWN (MATARIKI 2022)

One time I rose early
Sleep would not come, Vexation driving it out
A quiet relaxing drive, no traffic on the road, to
A dark mountain blocking out the night
The challenge: to walk, reach the height, watch for dawn
It was a cloudy night

Two times I sat outside the tent
reveling in starlight, cursing my limitation,
What star is that?
Then Alpha Centauri, then Crux, and
the long line to Achernar, telling me South
I know my way

New times; I will rise early
Search the Eastern horizon for the promising stars
Rigel and the Seven Sisters – Puanga and Matariki
        for those who mourn
        the Hope Bringer
        the Gardener
        the Singer of Forest Songs
        the Watcher over Water
        the Team Builders
        the Enthusiast
Then will I draw back to Earth, to Papatūānuku
Begin again, anew

 

- Kate Jenkins

FOR SYDNEY - JULY 2022, 1

Having this water to deal with
each person must / should / could play a part
When Earth moves, or rain doesn’t stop falling
all of us together (he waka eke noa) can practise
kindness, comfort, giving, sharing – as our
attachments to Things wash away in this flood
Endless losses scour our hearts
kindle doubt, fear, horror, amazement and
excruciating shock
Now is the time to clasp tightly
onto the living – friends, pets, neighbours, loved ones, God
allowing Presence to bring a smaller sense of Life

FOR SYDNEY - JULY 2022, 2

Here we are
Everything shaken up
Wondering, why?
Affected, emotional
Knocked out of life
Are we safe?
Each person changed
Known spaces destroyed
Everyone challenged
Nothing will be the same
Ordinary now extraordinary
All we can do is watch

- Kate Jenkins