ruby macomber
what we sang at nan’s funeral
there’s an ili in the Honda Civic backseat nan will come back for
mandarins in the fruit bowl
half-peeled, like
there is something more pressing than vitamin c
Godspeed
Frank Ocean on repeat
aunties weep to hydrogen
and helium
left to collide in westside streetlights just for us, arriving
home to the back door
bolted
Isa isa
Vulagi lasa dina
Monu lako au na rarawa kina
kentucky fried conversations
pigeons poop from our power lines
catch the Honda Civic, windows down
vulnerable
we chuck jandals
with too-much-coffee-not-enough-Colgate
smiles, scare the neighbours
whose houses are marked
by Chucks hanging with knotted laces
what wicked, wicked birds
inside, aunty paces
shaking wicked wing in hand
we could all be like Elon Musk if we work hard enough
one day
let us be winners
with pristine windscreens
unexpired regos, waving haere rā to WINZ
Pepsi in plastic wine glasses
our plates
filled with fleshless bones
but until then
we'll throw jandals
and buckets of washing water
at the pigeons pooping from our power lines
and wonder
if pigeons catch Teslas
windows-down
vulnerable
Ruby Macomber is trying to study multiple degrees at the same time, silly, silly girl. Her words can also be found in Youth Arts New Zealand's ‘Young At Art’ exhibition.