Eviction notice
1.
We take the bus
End of Lambton Quay I say
to the driver
Whina is in the front pack
Red hat on
For Papatūānuku
Maybe she will sleep
Ka whawhai tonu mātou
her lullaby.
2.
Walking home
my baby is hot
I slide off her hat
and trace the swirling smoke
of the home fires.
3.
A man looks over
“She needs to be wearing a hat,”
he says, with all the confidence
of 180 years.
Her warm body next to mine
She is listening
to my heartbeat
Āke, āke, āke…
