A poem by Meilani Payne
As we experience the irritants of this word,
The hardships we are placed in,
The agenda’s forced onto us,
Our tupuna gather around us,
Our kōpu tangata embracing us,
Coming together to coat us.
Morphing,
Shaping us,
We are transformed.
When you try to infect us,
Damage us,
Invade us,
We take your hits, we take your cuts,
Your efforts to break us,
take us,
shake us.
And despite it all, we become something mānea.
We are the epitome of strength, resiliency and grace.
Pārau.