a patch of blue in the sky dear patches of blue in the sky gather them up and sew them together

a patch of blue in the sky dear patches of blue in the sky gather them up and sew them together     and soon we ll have a change in the weather like the parrots he was a whistle-speaker whiowhio     one who turned the world over     who named himself the fiery god     and told his people the truth of the Serpent more subtle than any beast of the field     one who knew an apple tree when he saw it and was not alarmed when the god spoke through him Te Nakahi     s scale the snake nahash in one tongue     naga in another     magic, enchantment most beautiful s scale voice in the garden not a lizard or a dragon but a prophet in a red crimson cloak whistling up a storm at Omanaia at Rangihoua     at Ohaeawai falling day and night whump onto the iron roof of the verandah     the concrete path softer among the clivias under the tree     or the ginger plants in the back yard     the parrots giving them a last going over not cannon fire exactly but surprisingly loud     s scale over which he had tied his chief s dogskin feasting     the birds whirl up the seedheads snap and fall to earth     s scale all over the north everywhere the big flowers were when he lay on the marae at Te Kotahitanga     lemon soap scent and she     one of six took the flower from my hands and laid it with others on the casket journeying to Wharepaepae s scale the prophet stood on a high hill behind Te Puna and promised things entirely new, such as had not been seen in the world before the missioners heard nothing more and soon he was gone to Hokianga if there was a feast blue eyes missed it     and the flag that snapped in the wind above the people of the land     was there a flag we ask     of course there was a flag     a sky serpent turning the world over     a whistle-speaker gathering converts to the Spirit in the photograph evidence of an old man at Omanaia     at rest on the marae under a cloak and hands nearby a weather change on the river baptised s scale Penetana Papahurihia the most influential man in the District the poet came looking for his gravestone s scale found him riding along back roads many parrots whistled hemming up blue patches in a grey sky Michele s scale Leggott's most recent book is Journey to Portugal s scale (Holloway Press, 2007). She coordinates the New Zealand Electronic Poetry Centre ( nzepc ) with Brian Flaherty and is the inaugural New Zealand Poet Laureate .       previous page       contents       next page