Taieri

Oyster catchers trot away like sheep
Their old tired backs bent and shoulders hunched
Wrapped in a jet black shawl
Even on beautiful days braced against the perpetual storm

The little blue penguin lies in state
No one to pay their respects 
Except the tiny mites that knock on her eyelids 
Shouting “Let me in! Let me in!”
“Let me feed on your sweet rotting flesh”

The sand dunes collapse at the sight of me
I congratulate myself at my powers of persuasion
And I move on

The waves tease my feet
“Come closer” they say
And so I do
And so they send a big wave
That wets me to my knees
I know how this game works
But sometimes it’s more fun to be naive

I poke at big piece of bull kelp
A thousand sandhoppers jump
For joy or fearing for their lives
I wish them all the best as they
Jump to find a good mate
Or something wholesome to eat
Or somewhere to rest their weary heads for a while
For they know the meaning of life
Those three things
And don’t let any fool tell you otherwise

I pass a dead red-beaked gull
It’s head raw flesh
Partly devoured by black flies
Who lay the eggs of the next generation
Life and death are never far apart

At the river mouth
A harem of sparrows tell each other about their day
They flit between dead bush lupins
While the Agave america watch on
Their giant spears of seed
Stabbing at the sky

The lagoon looks void of life at first
But rewards come to those who wait
Tiny shrimp dart about in the shallows
And juvenile fish dart amongst the shrimp
The whelks quietly go about their business
Continuously rasping from one day to the next

A light breeze teases
There are no zephyrs in these parts
No one to tell them
How they’re supposed to live

The tides rise and fall
With my footsteps
I walk and I think
And I know
It is all holy