28 January 2010

Tuamotu

Toppled moai 

Tuamotu

Lying nose down In the dirt
For what...two hundred years?
This was the effigy
Of Tuamotu, he the stardreamer
Whose word in Poike was revered.
He who traced his blood back
To Hotu Matu'a
And the disembarkment at Anakena
He was our lord.

We hauled his likeness here from Rano Raraku
All the able men of Poike
To the beat of a drum
Day by day
Inch by inch...
But he was Tuamotu
What would we not have given
To honour his memory?
Day by day we hauled
With womenfolk and children
Bringing mud and leaves
To slide him along the moai road
Till before two moons had passed
We brought him back to our beloved Poike
And raised him
Inch by inch
Sinew by sinew
The old ones chanting,
Advising, applauding
Inch by inch we pulled
Stones and sand wedged him
Till there he stood
Tuamotu - on his ahu at last
Lord of Poike
Surveying his people
Again.

We made him tall and strong
So that he would endure
Long into eternity
Like the stars he dreamed of
And the west wind
Rushing over the cliffs of Orongo

But there he lies
Nose in the dirt
Kissing the land that he loved
But with his back
To the stars
He dreamed of

Poike peninsula

Glossary

Hotu Matu'a - The legendary founder of the island race who came from the west

Anakena - the sandy bay where the first settlers reputedly landed.

Rano Raraku - A crater where 95% of the moai were created

Poike - The mysterious peninsula in the north east of the island.

4 comments:

  1. This is the third time I've checked your blog in the past day or two, and still, when the photo with that perfect blue sky pops up, my eyes celebrate.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PLAGUED - Well I am hoping that's a positive "wow" and not a "wow - what rubbish!"
    KATHERINE See above
    JAN BLAWAT I can tell that you have the Easter Island mystery bug. I have found it in several friends and acquaintances whereas others look at me non-plussed as if to say "So what?"...I was lucky during my sojourn on the island because every day I was there the weather was quite lovely. It isn't always so.

    ReplyDelete

Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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