Tuesday Poem: Archaeology by Saradha Koirala

My brother's been living beneath the bones of Whataitai
a skeleton brought up by a fault line.
He watches rugby at The Realm.

In the morning we take the ferry to Matiu/Somes
and walk along the ridges
never once spotting tuatara.

Mokopuna Island remains in shadow
cast by its own caves.

Kakariki fly over the gun emplacement
where we sit and eat sandwiches
among the scattered remains of a seagull.



Reprinted with kind permission from the author.


Saradha Koirala is a talented lady. 'Archaeology' comes from her first collection of poetry, Wit of the staircase, published in 2009. She also very recently published her second collection, Tear Water Tea, which is tenderly crafted, holds an economy of poignant images and boasts beautiful pointillist drawings.

I particularly love this poem for its subtle, pared back 'unearthing'. Sibling poems fascinate me (coming from a large, close family) and the strength of bonds in this connection between brother and sister strides through the carefully selected words and images. Saradha shared with me a little of the background to this poem - the trip over to the island with her sibling and her fascination with the eeriness of the watery isles, both from its history and the way that the birds seem to have reclaimed it for their own.

For more poems this Tuesday, do hop on over to the TP hub. Rethabile Masilo has shared an illuminating poem by Geoffrey Philp and there are many other poems to choose from along the sidebar. Happy poetry reading!