I spent some time in Owhango today and tried my hand at some poetry and panoramic photography. This was the result. Some readers from the area will know the tree I visited. The shot above was taken as I sat on the platform ledge, leaning against the tree.
Leaning Against The Tree in Owhango
Don’t let me fall.
I’m trusting you more than this man-made platform,
this shallow-rooted, thin-nail-bound structure;
fastened together with your less glorious cousins.
You won’t let me fall.
I can tell from the pressure on my back;
Tane Mahuta’s thick sinewy leg
thrusting against the sky;
taut, firm, unrelenting,
as strong as the shoulders of Atlas.
Why shouldn’t I trust a world-bearer?
Why wouldn’t I depend on you to protect me
from gravity and my own foolishness?
Antony Millen is a Canadian living and writing in New Zealand and the author of Redeeming Brother Murrihy: The River to Hiruharama and Te Kauhanga: A Tale of Space(s).
