Cover & Book design: Dean Harvard(September 16) The Return of the Vanishing New Zealander. ISBN 978-0-9864507-6-1. Dunedin: Kilmog Books, 2009. 20 pp.
- I ♥ NZ (11/2/99)
- NZ Golf (and English) Academy (31/12/98)
- Boi-Boi on Karaoke (29/12/98)
- Language School Picnic (28/3/98)
- Journey to the West
- Evening (18/6-20/9/98)
- Clouds (18/6-9/9/98)
- Countdown (18/6-9/9/98)
- Index (27/12/01- 4/3/02)
- Mysteries: A Christmas Poem
- The stones have eyes …. (6/10-29/11/03)
- Brought down … (10-29/11/03)
- There is no same word … (2/9-29/11/03)
- In the Days of The Lord of the Rings (20-27/11/02)
- A Question of Faith (22-26/3/03)
- Bonfire Gothic
- Dogshit at a distance (12/1-5/2/03)
- Diaphanous sails (30/1-5/2/03)
For Bronwyn
thanks to the Blackfoot tribe who adopted me
- Leslie Fiedler, The Return of the Vanishing American
– Bumper-sticker
… love is not love
which alters when it alteration finds:
beach-shelf eroded, Richard III gulls
in paroxysms of unholy rage.
We walked here barefoot
before the tar, swam here before
the sewerage outlet, sand-fought
by that wall.
Today I’m pelted by the wind,
“The Caribbean, boys, in full roar!”
Two kayakers
are dumb enough to try it.
Brown sturdy girls
wade bare-legged through the surf.
(11/2/99)
Publications:
- evasion 1 (2000): 15.
- The Return of the Vanishing New Zealander. ISBN 978-0-9864507-6-1 (Dunedin: Kilmog Press, 2009): 5.
- Let It Rain E UA TE UA Tukuna ki te Mārama: Poetry from Aotearoa in Multilingual Translation. Ed. Antonella Sarti Evans & Maringikura Mary Campbell (Paekakariki, NZ: Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop, 2023): 196.
Notes:
- The quotation "The Caribbean, boys, in full roar!" comes from Carl Barks, "The Flying Dutchman." Uncle Scrooge #25 (1959).
- Let It Rain E UA TE UA Tukuna ki te Mārama: Poetry from Aotearoa in Multilingual Translation. Ed. Antonella Sarti Evans & Maringikura Mary Campbell (Paekakariki, NZ: Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop, 2023): 197.
I ♥ NZ
...l'amore non è amore
se muta quando un mutamento incontra:
eroso come una spiaggia, Riccardo III gabba
in parossismi d'empia collera.
Abbiamo camminato scalzi fin qui
prima del catrame, abbiamo nuotato qui prima
del tubo della fogna, giocato con la sabbia
contro quel muro.
Oggi vengo scagliato dal vento,
"Il caraibico, ragazzi, a tutta forza!"
Due vogatori in kayak
son tanto stupidid da provarci.
Ragazze robuste dalla pelle marrone
attraversono a gambe nude fra le onde.
- Translated into Italian by Antonella Sarti Evans
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… capturing the essence of cross cultural communication … – Brenda Allen, Takahe 35 (1998) Sea-gull on peacock fan two strokes of black No flowers by invitationTeaching Ken (Ke Liu) how to mouth Les MisérablesThe willows of Han capital shine yellow on the new blinds Flying Swallow’s scented boneslie buried in the cypress mound … Ah, scented bones Last night talking to Richard:“It’s hard to bring myself to type them up” A thousand pounded yearsof suns forever white Unseen by the King of Ch’in, or Emperor WuNude sunbathing on Waiheke: “Do I look Vietnamese?” … Ah, scented bones
(31/12/98)
Publications:
- For Lisa Bieleski: New Zealand Golf (and English) Academy (Auckland: Perdrix Press, 1999)
- Poetry NZ 26 (2003): 84-85.
- The Return of the Vanishing New Zealander. ISBN 978-0-9864507-6-1 (Dunedin: Kilmog Press, 2009): 6.
•
January A little light
tennis with stars outside window
wheel
baseball Your voices
mask Cakes smell good
Revised, it read: telephone
brick Oh!
chimney My first birthday party
apple
nine Keep it forever building
pen Just for you and me
(29/12/98)
Publications:
- For Lisa Bieleski: New Zealand Golf (and English) Academy (Auckland: Perdrix Press, 1999)
- Spin 40 (2001): 56.
- The Return of the Vanishing New Zealander. ISBN 978-0-9864507-6-1 (Dunedin: Kilmog Press, 2009): 7.
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Halfway up One Tree Hill, Adèle, your chipmunk smile Korean rock sculptors chivvied down Twin Oaks Drive
(28/3/98)
Publications:
- NZ Listener 3412 (2005): 44.
- The Return of the Vanishing New Zealander. ISBN 978-0-9864507-6-1 (Dunedin: Kilmog Press, 2009): 8.
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(after Wu Cheng'en) Jack, Thank you for your teach. It ismyfirst time I feel sad when class finished. I feel like leave a family not a class. Thanks again. – Wu Pei-Sha (Denise) I – Evening As clouds settle round mountains, crows fly home to roost cloud – mountain – crow crow settles, cloud flies home to roost travellers on long journeys find inns for the night traveller – journey – inn inn finds traveller to spend the night the lamps in the lonely village burn with barely a flame lamp – village – flame flame burns through a village lamp pure is the monastery where reed smoke curls in the breeze monastery – smoke – breeze monastery reeds curl in the smoke II – Clouds Pale and ragged clouds dim moon on mountains cold frost in heaven wind through my body lone bird, the grey island seems vast at sunset, the distance is low in the sparse forest, a thousand trees shake deserted peak: a lone ape screams long path: it bears no footprints the boat returns for thousands of miles III – Countdown Is it high? It touches heaven. Deep? It reaches hell. White clouds surround the mountain black mists swim red-blushing plums / jade bamboo dark-green cypresses / blue pines _____________________________ Ten-mile pavilion: no travellers leave nine-faced heaven: stars have set on eight harbours: boats are docked in seven thousand cities: gates shut six palaces: officials gone five departments: ledgers closed four seas: fishing lines sink three rivers: waves subside two towers: bells resound one moon lights earth and sky
(18/6-20/9/98; 18/6-9/9/98; 18/6-9/9/98)
Publications:
- Shonagh’s Book / Jack’s Book (Auckland: Perdrix Press, 1999): 84 pp.
- JAAM 13 (2000): 93-94.
- The Return of the Vanishing New Zealander. ISBN 978-0-9864507-6-1 (Dunedin: Kilmog Press, 2009): 9-11.
Notes:
- Some of these texts have been sampled from Wu Cheng’en. Journey to the West. Trans. W. J. F. Jenner. 1982. 3 vols. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1990.
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page line Meaning of life …………………………………………………… 8 13 Ideal way of living …………………………………………………… 494 17 Death is inevitable …………………………………………………… 186 20 To attain success in anything, one should endure many a hardship …………………………………………………… 312 18 Do not let your mind be disturbed, even under unsatisfactory circumstances …………………………………… 244 1 Buddha’s wisdom is as wide and deep as a great ocean …………………………………………………… 66 9 Conquer your mind …………………………………………………… 304 14 Be the master of your mind …………………………………… 20 23 Be impartial and try hard ……………………………………… 340 14 What to think about when you take food ………………… 412 2 What to think about when you go to bed ………………… 412 8 What to think about when you wear clothes ……… 410 6 What to think about when it’s hot or cold …………… 412 19 Right way between husband and wife ………………………… 424 13 For the benefit of young and beautiful women …………………………………………………………………………… 450 1 Those that disturb the laws of order will come to ruin ………………………………………………………………………… 276 3 Those who are jealous and squabble with others will come to ruin ……………………………………………… 276 3 One is not a homeless brother simply because one dresses like a monk and recites Sutras ……… 390 8 - The Teachings of Buddha, 1966, 1078th revised edition. Tokyo: Society for the Promotion of Buddhism [Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai], 2001. 568-84.
(27/12/01-4/3/02)
Publications:
- Spin 42 (2002): 51.
- The Return of the Vanishing New Zealander. ISBN 978-0-9864507-6-1 (Dunedin: Kilmog Press, 2009): 12.
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Eternity is a long
time to be wrong
– www.2besaved.com
The stones have eyes green
iron landfill
the frameboard houses
full of smoke
close the cardoor pink
child don’t trust the
bench the zebra
crossing
thoroughly modern
miss
•
Brought down
like a deer
in the headlights
the police car
& his victim
yellow pulsing
faces
even the jogger
has to go
around
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There is no same word
to communicate with Kiwi
says Fan Jia
Toni adds
high cloud will be getting
a little excited
a happy morning
between sunshine and rain
under the same blue canopy
of sky
(6/10-29/11/03; 10-29/11/03; 2/9-29/11/03)
Publications:
- Bravado 6 (2006): 33.
- The Return of the Vanishing New Zealander. ISBN 978-0-9864507-6-1 (Dunedin: Kilmog Press, 2009): 13-14.
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One of the virtues of never sleeping … You have to live in your dreams. – Die Another Day Masonry & dust rock-salt the ceiling fan
Watching Pootie Tang language crumbles into cognatesScent of sweat ‘I’ll call you we’ll go out for a …’
My dearest Jack construct the letter fill me withyour corn-fat pin-holes in the ceiling
draw the patterndown
(20-27/11/02)
Publications:
- Magazine Six: The Key West Issue (Cycle Press, Key West, Florida, 2006): 102.
- The Return of the Vanishing New Zealander. ISBN 978-0-9864507-6-1 (Dunedin: Kilmog Press, 2009): 15.
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Things don’t always
stay with you
because they’re good
that moment
for example
when the needle
slipped
car stalled
in heavy traffic
walking
with a phone
in one hand
talking to the air
boy wearing BOOM
girl scales
the concrete parapet
clap hands
push pram
the evening draws in
roiled clouds
under the Protection
let the children pass
(22-26/3/03)
Publications:
- Papertiger 4 (2004).
- The Return of the Vanishing New Zealander. ISBN 978-0-9864507-6-1 (Dunedin: Kilmog Press, 2009): 16.
•
1
Dogshit at a distance
fly like birds
through the razor
fence green brackets
children playing
by the mound
CONTAMINATION
beach polluted
crossed
red & yellow flags
2
Diaphanous sails
Sandy in her top hat
underwear
cat coming out to greet
me lick my hand
ears arched
blue blue of the sea
pale islands
hot behind the wheel
till I return
(12/1-5/2/03; 30/1-5/2/03)
Publications:
- Kokako / Spin 46 (2003): 53.
- The Return of the Vanishing New Zealander. ISBN 978-0-9864507-6-1 (Dunedin: Kilmog Press, 2009): 17.
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