In order to heal

In order to heal

In order to heal

We do it together.

 

I let you thread the stitches into my skin

A perfect weave of earth and wind,

We bathe each other several times a week,

Then plant our antibiotics deep

And gently bandage our backs with dirt,

We wash our wounds, expel some hurt.

Apply antiseptic poetry readings

And research pre colonial bleedings,

Invite our moko to brave emergence,

Tautoko tikanga and reo resurgence,

Sit with the whenua, hear what it says,

Protect Ihumātao the rest of our days.

Listen to Koro, but do what is right,

It’s not the end yet so we still have to fight,

For the tamariki of ā tōna wā,

Connect with tīpuna, help structure the Pā,

The fires of the past and the present still burn,

Ahi kā, our ora, our mana, our turn.

This article first appeared in Issue 22, 2019.
Posted 11:59pm Thursday 5th September 2019 by Māori Mermaid.