Kia ora koutou, this is a poem (or maybe doggerel) I wrote while doing a class with Lyn Davidson. I was trying to get the beat of marching and , the idea of going on and never ending, nature of the problems and so the poem ended up with that old 4/4 hymn beat – very old fashioned and a bit irritating when it goes on too long. On the other hand I guess its dah–da-dah dah-dah illustrates the ongoing nature of what I’m talking about, not inspiring or romantic – just keeping on when most of the time you’d rather be lolling around reading a book and eating cake…
Push and Pull
I stand up straight on the corners
Shout out at them and at us
Hug and complain of the failures
Hand out scones and a list
Still those stony paths call me
still I hear cries from the swamp
still there’s that sharp edge of anger
still there’s the patchwork of want
Over the edge of the current
Beyond that green hill of distress
Down by that pool of depression
that’s where they stand – dispossessed
I stand up straight on the corners
Shout out at them and at us
Hug and complain of the failures
Hand out scones and a list
Renée