Why

I came because an illicit wind
Pushed & carried

& left me, bedraggled
& adrift on summer tides

‘Til I washed ashore
& was welcomed

By the love of the River Tribe –

& I stepped beyond the edge

& my poems were ants
& they frightened me

But wonder followed
& joy & tears

& I heard the Beloved

In the free singing tongues
Of the young of Europe

& I knew it was love

& it sang in the magic
Of the Marble Mountain

& the swelling waters
Of Te Waikoropupu

& I knew the danger

Yet, still
I
Came

.

.

………………………………………….

‘Illicit wind;’ the wairua or spirit

‘The River Tribe;’ was a spontaneous community of young people. Most of ‘the tribe’ came from overseas. There were, however, a handful of Kiwi’s. Core values of the River Tribe included; freedom, love & sustainability.

The poem was written as a response to the question; ‘Why I came to Golden Bay.’