64. Gatekeepers

At the front of the class she laughs and she smiles
inspiring her students as they go through their lessons
and into the evening she waters her garden
and caresses the petals of beautiful flowers

Another one smokes as she kneads the paraoa
but mindful of mokos about her own feet
and as all the manu come back to the trees
she'll run a hot bath and set in for the evening

A young guy sits, a top a beer crate
and tunes his guitar while talking with mates
But as light recedes and his eye sight grows dim
he reckons it's time that he called it a night

As they sleep, as they slumber, as the snore, as they talk
their spirits awaken and take up their charge
To the east, to the west, to the north, or the south
they take their positions to protect and to guard

They let in the Light or bring about Dark
they inspire creation in sound or in dance
They convey the new souls to expectant mums
or carry the mournful to peace or to rest

All of these duties are not without danger
unmentionable forces also at work
But with their stout hearts they will stand and defend
wielding God's power right to the end

63. Swords of Light

Propped up against the wall of my bedroom
two thin crystal swords glow brilliantly white
With one do I swallow and the other impale
ingesting their power and all of their might

Within an instant, I'm called to arms
alone in the dark with both swords in hand
and rise into the air above a small house
and protect all of those who dwell underneath

With weapons extended I turn round and round
three times anti-clockwise - cutting the air
and below me is shrieking, screaming and cries
as shadows are cast out or caused to take flight

And back down to the ground and to my own bed
do I find myself fall and go back to sleep
and when the Sun shines as I open my eyes
I feel my heart smile, way deep down inside

62. Elemental waka

The afternoon sun shines down upon me
as I find myself down the back of the boat
the day has been beautiful with unending love
but it's time for the Elements to return to their homes

Creating a wake with my hoe in the water
the waka slows down and moves to the jetties
Spirits of faceless people embark
back on board to the songs of all of it's passengers

Our waka is led by one, single woman
who sings with beauty, bravado and love
As her songs touch the ears of all of God's servants
they're reminded it's time, once again to depart

Fully extended my oar pushes off
from the riverbed floor way down below us
We move into the current of fast flowing water
and out onto the stars and into the night.

61. Papatuanuku

In the dim, dark corner of my mother's wash house
a young Papatuanuku stands forgotten and alone
She wears her school uniform off her small frame
a cardigan of dark green and a tartan, green dress

Lost and forlorn, tired and forgotten
her young body trembles from exhaustion and cold
She turns to face me with dark, hazel eyes
the sadness of which, goes straight to my soul

She once was revered and held in esteem
and where prayer and ritual were offered to her
But here she now stands amongst laundry and litter
relegated and sent to the back of the house

She gave rise to the Sun and a bed to the Moon
and fed civilisations for a million odd years
but no-longer can she, now feed or sustain
the appetite and hunger of modern day man

I take from my bag a pounamu stone
which sparkles and shimmers bright pink from my touch
As she takes it in hand her hazel dark eyes
begin to turn yellow and brilliantly gold

Our Papatuanuku will soon come of age
where her body will grow and her spirit will soar
and spiritually we will have to evolve
no-longer sustained, by those things of old...

60. Old School

Tirelessly the children are working
fashioning weapons from human bone
warrior's teeth adorn sacred necklaces
and tibia wands bound with flax and with hair

With their innocent hearts and innocent minds
they begin to create, great weapons of spirit
and all the while, they laugh and they smile
as they dutifully work through ancestral remains

Further afield I walk round a house
brilliantly carved with 4 doors at each end
The House of 4 Winds or of 4 Directions
Miringa Te Kakara, a Star House, a Star Temple

God's Temple or Tent is also it's name where his treasures
flowed through to the World with each day
Through spiritual ritual and customary ways
were arts and crafts made, and song and dance played

So once again, will the Star Portal open
where humans and fairies will soon re-convene
The Ancients of Old and Us of Today
ushering in another new age...

59. Evil

At the foot of my bed the air shakes and it quivers
Flared nostrils appear on a menacing form
glowing dark red and orange it lunges towards me
strangling me and pinning me down

Held by my throat I hear a small prayer
and rise off the bed forcing it back
Crushing it's spirit with my own body
I snarl, "Get the fuck, out of my room"

The following day my footsteps are haunted
whispers are heard and shadows come near
The air still shakes and quivers at times
and fear and sadness will not go away

Settling in atop of my bed
apprehension and fear begin to seep in
so I confess to my partner of what had transpired
and am told that was me in a menacing form

That was all of my hurt and all of my pain
all of my anger and self deprecation
Where I forgave others for all of their sins
I dwell on my own and punish me so

My heart starts to sink as I start to recall
that apparition in menacing form
of anger and hurt and nostrils which flared
glowing brilliantly orange, blue and then red

In the dark of the night he appears once again
where the air shakes and quivers right beside my own bed
but this time I clasp him to my own chest
and sit in forgiveness, compassion and grace

58. From the mouth of babes

Through the eyes of a child
I wake in my childhood bed
to a room cloaked in darkness
except for the moonlight
streaming in through the windows

I step out into the night to a sky
filled with a hundred moons and
my mother hanging washing and
giving me a comforting smile

Another challenge now awaits me
but this time a test of childhood fears
but matched with strengths and memories
before adulthood and a maturing psyche

The moons explode and disappear and
where the darkness now creeps forward
and the cold of night begins to lick and bite
and wrap itself around my young body

Fixed to a spot I sense a being like no other
and with my mouth I hiss and regurgitate
vowels and consonants of an ancient language
understood more by snakes and by reptiles

I have come home, I now remember
childhood nightmares and talking in tongues
but where I was haunted, torn and afraid
I now stand in my power and talk to the dark...