East of the sun/west of the moon
The not Tapanui flu part of me feels cheated getting off the
direct flight from Dunedin coming back from Mum's place. I
can't touch the land outside, below my window seat. What do I
feel? The loving certaintly of Billie Holiday's 1950s voice on
the record John and Mary got me for my birthday. When all her
mates thought her life was falling
apart... Bucket-sized stars
on top of our sleeping bag, in a tiny
space with no gorse under
the one punga fern left on the
Kaikoura coast. A motorbike
gang roars past/the hill shakes as
the cabbage train to
Christchurch thumps through
below. On New Year;s Eve in the '70s.
1988 acrylic on hardboard 1200 x 900mm