Neve Hopman
Santorini
On Sunday night you message me from Saturday afternoon
‘Audio_3536.m4a’
‘new song!’
You’re keeping the promise you made
in your flat
after you sang to me about an island in Greece
and you dancing on a beach.
You’d texted me
‘hot chocolate?’
and I’d ran through rain
700 metres to your door.
I told you to send me anything you ever wanted to share,
now sometimes when I speak it’s your voice that comes out.
–
I check your location on an app
and run through time zone conversions.
Tlayacapan today,
Mexico City tomorrow,
you’re in a sea of sounds I can’t pronounce
and I’ve been wondering if I should start Duolingo.
You tell me you’re walking lots and going to the markets and reading and
you’re fucking floating babe.
I tell you I’m writing less and saving more
and I’m floating too,
in a pre-emptive kind of way.
When my summer ends you’ll go back to the city we shared for three seasons
(hot chocolates, crushes, and chord progressions)
and I’ll go to Santorini.
From here on out we’re Lichtenberg figures.
We’ll change plans every chance we get
and keep swapping seas,
but in the ever changing
call me when you can
and I’ll pick up when I’m free.
Neve Hopman studied English Literature at Te Herenga Waka and can now be found in the mountains of Te Waipounamu, studying the bush.