B.
Lanu Moana by Ana Mulipola
Note
Ana Mulipola reads her own poem, Lanu Moana, written in response to the exhibition Te Wheke: Pathways Across Oceania at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū
John Pule Not of This Time (Dreamland)
Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū; purchased 2019
1
Navy is the blood on her winter uniform
Can you see it, can you see it? she pleaded
Then she was gone
Lanu moana - the colour of the ocean
Alo lou va’a ae fa’aeteete i le asa o le la*
Crimson is the holy bible in his mind
I believe it, I believe it, he pleaded
And set it aside
Lanu moana - the colour of the ocean
Alo lou va’a ae fa’aeteete i le asa o le la*
_______
*Paddle your canoe but beware of the scorching sun
2
Not of this time did we dream of strands of typos
dangling from ink-stained walls
Walls that were contemporary when my son’s finger prints
embossed foggy windows
and my daughter pulled her skirt into pleats at the front
Lanu moana - the colour of the ocean
Lanu meamata - the colour of unripe bananas
Lanu samasama - the colour of… summer?
Summer crackles from the transistor radio he carries in his back pocket
Face to face, he struck me speechless
Unruly curls, pungent leather, whiskey nerves
Fakaalofa lahi atu
It wasn’t a transistor radio after all but a calling card
with Niuean motifs that he chucked across the bar
It landed with a puff of air that splashed beer froth in their eyes
3
Mum, I’m hungry
Wait, there’s more
I stepped further back to capture him all in one frame
But there was too much of every part of me closing in on me
Trying to steady me in heeled boots
Without touching the walls
Without touching my face
Te Wheke
Don’t touch the siapo axe
Don’t touch the Victorian taupou
Don’t touch the hiapo with shark teeth edges
Don’t touch the tivaevae
Don’t touch the malu under water
Don’t touch the fish gliding without trying
Don’t touch the strings of sand
Don’t touch the tin cans
Don’t touch the baby stars
Don’t touch the seven sisters
Not one single sister
4
There’s not enough time to eat this feast
My feet are sore and I’m sweating
Someone’s texting
Someone’s texting
My handbag has gobbled my phone
My hair needs a wash
My daughter wants to touch the fish
And I’ve missed the malu swim away
Replay
5
Lanu meamata - the colour of Icarus falling
Lele maualuga ae fa’aeteete i le asa o le la**
From great heights the ocean is a hard landing place
If you’re burning, you meet it with a sizzle
But everything that follows is like air
The deeper, the more fluid the dance
Te Wheke
_______
** Fly high but beware of the scorching sun
6
Underwater, nature magnifies itself
It holds my future out and squints
There’s a woman, she says.
But there are many, I reply.
Yes, there are many in one, she says and shuffles. Pull five cards.
Tasi, lua, tolu, fa, lima.
Give me another two.
Ono, fitu.
Seven priestesses appear:
[ ] Pu’eomanu
[ ] Malaea
[ ] Liua
[ ] Malia
[ ] Pepe
[ ] Vainu’u
[ ] Sarai
7
Our Fika sister is in her Melbourne home
We are in Ōtautahi, Te Puna o Waiwhetū
We are loud - the sound of proud
Te Wheke
________
Poem references
1 - 2 Response to John Pule Not of This Time (Dreamland) 2008
3 - 4 Response to Te Wheke, 2020
5 Response to Bill Hammond Icarus Falling (after Bruegel) 1995
6 Response to Lonnie Hutchinson Pigeon Tarot 2003
7 Response to Te Wheke, 2020