Ko Wai Koe?

“Ko wai koe?”

You ask

Who am I?

This girl who dares

Take a seat at your table?

You don’t know me

You don’t know

My heart

While tender

Is strong enough

Synced with Papatūānuku

By the beating poi

Of ancestral 

Mothers

Sisters

And daughters

You don’t know

My voice

While soft

Is full enough

Echoing

Her knowing waiata

In rumbled quakes

And measured seasons

You don’t know

My hands

While small

Are waka

Formed from Her clay

To cup and carry

Her wai-ora

From crested maunga

To darkest caverns

You don’t know

This seat

This table

And the whenua

On which they stand

Are mine

Gifts from my Mother

So

Will you sit with me?

Will you wānanga with me?

I’m happy to share

It’s what my mother taught me

“Ko wai koe?” 

You ask

I am

My mother’s

Daughter

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