Earth and the Sky
In loving memory of June
Sky had many homes.
Some had māmās and pāpās.
Some had brothers and sisters.
Some had a kurī.
Some had a ngeru.
Sky slept in many beds and couches. Sometimes under the stars. She preferred the houses that lead outside, with lush gardens, or even better, near the ngahere where she could escape to hear the waiata of manu and feel the dampness of the earth beneath her feet.
Then Sky met Rangi in one of the houses. They felt safe together, had many places to sleep, and shared the same name.
“Do you know what I want most in the wide world?” Rangi whispered as they were tucked into their beds.
“What?”
“'A home. Not a house, not a place to sleep, a home.”
The next morning Rangi showed Sky a taonga. It was a deep green and hung from a black rope.
"This is the closest thing I have to a home", Rangi shared. "My koro gave it to me when I was a pēpi. I wear it everywhere I go, and this is the one thing that never changes in every house I stay in."
"It's beautiful," remarked Sky.
"Aē."
It was not long before Sky found herself in yet another house, with Rangi far away. As she became familiar with yet another whānau, she remembered the pounamu that hung from Rangi's neck and felt more empty than ever.
Te Marama was high. Sneaking out the front door and to the street, Sky sprinted until she reached the ngahere and wandered deep into the bush. She could no longer see the glow from the streetlights.
She walked until she was alone, with only the forest around her and the stars above her. The breath of Tāwhirimātea gently caressed her face, and she settled beneath a mighty rākau and fell into a deep and restful sleep.
The light of the sun woke her, her clothes wet from dew. She was alone, far from the streets, cars, schools, and people. Again, she thought of Rangi and his taonga, and alone, she wept.
"My moko," a voice, warm and familiar. "Why are you crying?"
Tears flowed down her face. "Because I am so lonely and so alone," she yelled,
The forest erupted into life, birds took flight, leaves rattled in the trees, and even the earth shook.
"Oh my moko, you are never alone. I am always here."
Sky reached her hand out to the face of Papatūānuku and knew that it was here that she was at home, deep in the embrace of the earth, never to be lost again.
