Mōteatea
Iona Winter
The mōteatea enclosed in my chest
aches to be released
tangi te mapu
I must draw breath
Silently I witness
people’s meaningless words
render mine unspoken
‘I’m sorry for your loss’
What the fuck does that mean?
I wish they would stop
New lava etches
across my heart
joining solidified tracks
of those before you
did you know that my teardrops
contain all of the oceans?
The mōteatea enclosed in my chest
aches to be released
tangi te mapu
I must draw breath
I want to call you back
from wherever you have gone
we’re not done yet
you didn’t give me time
but I see Papatūānuku
now greets your bones
You are in me
our hands
all of our mothers’ hands
are kākano-womb-seed reminders
that scratch at my belly
like a ngāngara tail
The mōteatea enclosed in my chest
aches to be released
tangi te mapu
I must draw breath