‘Spiritual song of the West Coast’
I am a tohihi of the Forestland people
Part of this land, like the evergreen trees
I am the river, showing my rage
Screaming at the land on my way to sea
My spirit is the water-spouts
Vortexes, that wreak havoc on the land
I’m the rain, the lightning and the falling ice
As wet as my tears that flow from my eyes
I am Dolphin, seal and penguin that plays
Through the currents of the ocean crashing against the cliff
I wake to the cries of the land, screaming in pain
There was Pukeko, Kea, Fantail
No other child of the same mind
I am this land
And this land is me
I am West Coast.
I choose this poem because I felt it was the best one I have written for our poetry unit.
