Tuesday Poem: Ferry Road, Tuesday

Back from a walk to the ridge

and all the way up we'd watched

the weather coming in across the harbour

and by weather, I mean

a breath like a peppermint-eating cyclist,

nothing, and then suddenly something

fresh and light at your shoulder, and all

the way up we'd turned

and turned again to see it coming

its line drawn and redrawn in the water

closer     each    time

and how fast we walked

to be ahead -- to the top of Ferry Road

and onto the track through the new

growing spindly things and the crocheted

spider webs and the splash of rata

and push of green and the confetti

of beech leaves on the rise and

fall --

up and

up --

'There,' I said at last, as we stood
looking back at the weather again, half
the water crinkled now -- an old man

smiling, 'is where the pa of Te Hiha stood
he could see anything coming --
the whole

of the harbour.'

We'd left the beach in stillness, and
returned to a stiff breeze. 

Mary McCallum

Poem revised May 22

Tuesdays are my poem days and my bush-walking days, but not today (sadly) for the walking -  I have a meeting to get to. Poems, yes. Tuesday is always Tuesday Poem day for me and has been for three years. After you've read 'me' - do go to the Tuesday Poem hub to read a wonderful poem by a poet who is UK born to Guyanese parents - Fred D'Aguiar. I read his poem before I started on my poem again last night  (written a couple of weeks ago and left to brew) - I think my poem is talking to D'Aguiar's don't you? The title especially.