Artwork and words by Danielle Kionasina Dilys Thomson (she/her)
Read more at @tagataatamai on Instagram and www.tagataatamai.co.nz
Streets lined with coded colours
A subliminal call to replant yourself at the source
Hibiscus hues are covert beacons
Vivid checkpoints on a path to your ancestors
Breadcrumbs that adorn a speckled city full of concrete people who didn’t believe your Nana was royalty
Didn’t acknowledge the atua in their midst
Or the invisible shoulders they stood upon
Nana pointed your innocent gaze towards a trail of ants scurrying down into the sugar-dusted centre of le aute
You blinked and her petals did too
The wind waved to us
Nana reminded you to follow the people and places who feed you
And to always come bearing gifts