Molly Laurence
Nō ________ Ahau˚
to be honest my
relationship to land˚
is shrink-wrapped / shiny
glitter / litter in the under
growth i landed
here prepackaged / old
bones of trees i
a transplant / delve
into the whenua like an
abnormally developing cell
/ your red twin /
in a mother˚
not mine
Molly Laurence is a poet and youth advocacy enthusiast from Ōtautahi, in her last year of high school. Seeking her in the wild? Search at school after hours, the back paddock with the ducks, and/or in publications such as Redraft, Write On, A Fine Line, The NZPS Poetry Anthology, and Malala Yousafzai’s Assembly. In 2023, she was a runner up for the National Schools Poetry Award.