23 Views of Mount Taranaki

Pond

Reflexive, reflective, shimmering sky
quivering anxious, and waiting to fly
stone arc in silence, still surface sent
light in quick cascade and yet to be bent
pure spikes of heartache about to transpire
...waiting for beat to hesitate or tire

  (1/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Stratford

Dirty old town scuffing its
bootheels in the earth
digging at the foot
stinking of pregnancy and failure
sullen red roofs
...hunched against the view
frowning on the tired
rutty roads

(2/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Oakura

Crystal gravel crunching on the waves
echoing louder than my heartbeat
soulless laments on the waft
scouring the beach for bread,
for salvation, for derision,
...and the pilgrim step
slides slightly underfoot

(3/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Maps

crickets crash the hazy weight
and puff of air, puff of summer
scuffs of chalk ramble the golden
wellchewed hills
nosing for safety under the stubble
...puff and walk, puff and walk
another damnable hot cigarette
another ashy spill

(4/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Dusk

 

bright sudden slash ripping side to side
chopping all the colour from the sky
leaving the pressing weight darkening
slow, sucking air and leaving sweat
while Egmont looms like
...ever receding salvation
shrugging her shoulders careless
in her cool shawl of snow

(5/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Stuck

Pilgrims ashes under pilgrims billy
kicked clanking and cursing in the dim
and bovine halitosis announces
a swift arising in the chaos
accompanied by sweet sticky plops
...as invaders urge pilgrims to halfdressed
halfsober halfawake peregrination
to suckle the bitter bean afresh

(6/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Spill

The rainbow oil splayed across the tarmac
like Mandelbrot's dream escaped
and the ticktsk ticktsk soft
of the cooling engine block
as the front wheel spins lazy
...circle of destruction
and Taranaki raises one white finger
the umpire's verdict on the day

(7/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Book  

The skyline is a charcoal sketch
double lines yearning for zenith
against gull grey haze
doomed only to point
eyes strain to read
...by the draining light
and moths play tag
by the wizened kowhai

(8/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

 Paepae

Old solid lump leans against the stone
fractured remnants of face frowning
trying to remember how to stand
armlessly groping for legs
beaten and broken and still
...standing mute sentinel
I fancy it a leaving of parihaka
but I'm probably wrong

(9/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Ahi's mate

Bikes and dogs, dogs and bikes
snarling and spitting and pissing
bloody rotten old Triumphs
pools of their blood by the kickstand
blind faces, chips of stone
...no mate we don know no Ahi here
Simon bites off curses apple-
-chunk crisp in the evening air

(10/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Ohakune

Taranaki ghosts the sky
pulls me out from sullen stomp
Clack-clack the billiards gossip
far behind my back
half covered by the rustle
...of beer from the tap
leather creaks anticipation
stone solitude seat

(11/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Dawn

Kakaho reeds nod wisely together
admiring the weather, the view
and Taranaki's ghost floats
disembodied by the dawn
promise of snow someday high
...above the silent purple sash
that dawn knots around the day
breathing in soft eucalyptus heat

(12/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Splits

Small dog digging furiously
foxholes behind its ear
barks and twists and shouts
filling the dirty road behind
lean, kick the kickstand
...lift to first and twist away
out of red & onto black
arguments stew behind my back

(13/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Oeo

Taranaki half-hides
behind sandfly veil
grit eats my feet
toe-sand wiggling
the surf sussurates
...oeo, oeo, lets go, lets go
crisp white sheets drawing
over stark blue shroud

(14/23, views of Mt Taranaki) 

Memories

Silence and shadows stalk
the morning mist spook
sunshine sucks the scare
of solitary stutterings
Leaf shadow spreads
...a tarot of remembrance
52 stabbing pasts
crushing cruel partings

(15/23, views of Mt Taranaki) 

     
Running

pointy-headed shadow
racing the wheel before me
the snake hiss asphalt runs
vibrators over my forearms
Stop squeezing the grips
...they're noone's throats
insect-barbed winds flay
across the cheeks

(16/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Hiding

Fury pops on the skin
blown off by the tearing air
trick osmosis
hollow echoing jacket
coast into a cool pool
...lean on a throbbing tree
suppose thats just me
slumped low in boots

(17/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Looking

quick light brush taps
white on blue on white on blue
God imitates Monet again
just an impression of life
crisp pressed crown
and algae crawling slope
volcanic dunce cap
just fit for any of us

(18/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Sweating


Hot mist hiding the world,
foggy visor afternoon again
but not the cow paddock stink
drenching the tables
Taut wires prick sunlight
eager to flee, to fly, to flow
itchy as my boots to go
peel heat with tearing speed

(19/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Heading East


I don't want to go
I can't find anywhere to stop
shy blue skies hide the top
the cone poking the cloud
No common road roar now
no shell of watchers
to cover and cower and cloud
to stand and sit

(20/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Stratford redux


Back into town, blessed blacktop
enough of judderbar gravel
of fishtail clay roads
trailing dusk and clouds
of failure and rage, 
the perfect intro
for a crapboard motel
croaking poisonous on the edge of town

(21/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Barhopping


The unearned cachet of a thousand
crummy biker movies
dusted over my leathers
sways the wouldbe blondes
with fake danger and glamour
and covers for my lazy
lame chatlines, stiff 
as a TVNZ script

(22/23, views of Mt Taranaki)

Wellington

Rushing, pushing, surging wind
pins me deep in my seat
and the road south




opens like a fridge door
cool and full of light

while little winking mirrors
show me Taranaki
poking the bottoms of clouds

(23/23, views of Mt Taranaki)