Vaughan Gunson lives in Hikurangi, Northland. He tries to juggle being an art teacher, writer, activist, unionist, and parent of young children. Poems sometimes spill out, more of which can be read at
the explorers
we’ve discovered new places, you & I.
you, brave, with your love of adventure
& me, with a sometimes rational head
grasping the promise of your discoveries.
the south-west corner our latest, hidden
behind the pohutakawa tree. you wished
to pour water from your pink teapot
onto the post at the corner boundary.
I thought your blue pool would fit well
here—& I could move my chair, with
my book & pen. the familiar totara seen
from a different side; the view back
to the house half-blocked by wisteria
grown ragged. pohutukawa leaves dance
their shadows on the bottom of the pool.
their moving in the wind delights you
—it’s 2.30 in the afternoon, this place
would not have been found without you.
