I wrote my poem below after I read an article about a māmā whale, grieving the death of her calf, in her own way.
Tai te Kahurangi
Wahine tangi haehae, he ngaru moana, e kore e mātaki
As I read the words
“she was a mother, who happened to be an orca”
I know, I am a mother too, who happens to be a human.
On this Mother’s Day, I know loss and love, pain and heartbeat or the silence of where one should be.
She swam with her calf for 17 days through the Salish Sea over a distance of 1000 miles.
How far did we come?
Four months of living on an ocean, feeling the sway of waters – back and forth.
Requiring more of me than my busy wanted to occupy.
Through nose and nudge, she loved, held and journeyed with her calf.
As I held you my pepī, Tai te Kahurangi, crouched down, I held your home, your land, our whakapapa.
A warm gift of weighted presence.
Taking the moment in as my eyes meet you for the first time.
A delicate entanglement of love and land.
I have just begun my journey across the sea. I will nose-nudge you along with me for 1000 miles.
I will cry an ocean of tears for your return to me.
I want to show you to the world in all your beauty.
Push you above the deep waters to the surface where we can breathe together.
I know you will never leave me – māmā blessing.
Wahine tangi haehae, he ngaru moana, e kore e mātaki
#consciouspuku
Kaupapa Māori consultancy 