for tōrea 

away! the tōrea say,

stay away stay away stay!

sand whips along this long

spit, where a pair of tōrea 

have built their nest:

a tangle of seaweed and

two steadfast parents are

their defence, two growing

shell-encased beings,

stealing a moment to be still.

takaroa and tāne are

at their old arguments again

and now 4 wheel drives

cut up the beach too

which isn’t how it always was -

but can’t be helped.

gutteral, karoro take aim and

every day the dogs sniff closer.

stay away! stay away! away!

they will try anything, their mātua,

limping chasing tomfoolery. inside,

the young ones are quietly forming 

wings in their tiny bone houses;

while the world rages around them

they nudge each other in gentle comfort:

‘hear that song? scree scree!’ ‘i do, i do!’

and so on. and says the one who will 

later crack too soon: ‘oh star-hopper sibling, 

beach-writer, world-wanderer, mountain-gazer -

what     a     life     you    will      live!

Rauhina Kohuwai-Banks

30/4/2026, Ōtepoti: toikupu #30