Beach Rhythms at Mount Maunganui at 5pm
The way ranks of clouds saunter across the sky
The way sand ripples reflect dark shadows
onto gleaming white
The way four legs of walkers step in unison
The way each surf wave rises and descends with a thud
The way I listen for the silence between
The way my heart beats in the warmth of the sun,
Holding all in my awareness.
Kinsa Hays 19 October 2015
This poem won First in the PowerTalk NZ writing competition 2016
Mindfulness
Feeling the first hint of summer after a long
winter, the touch of sunshine on my arms
Listening to birdsong as I pull weeds, hump
compost, preparing a new garden
Work complete, I rest on the balcony and savour the
sweet reward of a local orange, juice dripping
on the ferns below. Above, kereru flap noisily
between the puriri trees
Surprising my grandchildren with a visit, I laugh as little Alex
drops in mock faint, baby Zara beams recognition
Family: invitations, passports and luggage, poolside cocktails,
smorgasbord breakfasts, hibiscus and mud bath antics
Then, captured by a full moon in apogee, hanging
huge and low and orange over the indigo Bay
I open a proof copy of my book, awed by its
newness and startled by its familiarity
As the sun breaches Mauo, fingers of light cross
the harbour and tui sing waiata
I acknowledge my spirit and soul, mind and body,
thankful for the love and protection that sustains me.
(Mauo is the Maori name for Mount Maunganui, aka The Mount)
Photo by Pedro Figueras on Pexels.com
Moon in apogee (closest to earth that it gets)
