Photos by Benji Byrne
I was drawn to the way geometric shapes can create a sense of order and harmony within a landscape and the way repetition of shapes can create visually striking forms and textures.
I loved how the complexity of the natural world through the lens of geometry can create a sense of depth and perspective within a photograph, or can draw attention to specific elements within a scene.
Benji Byrne – @bunziman on Instagram
Local Poetry
The Tūī Sing
The beautiful soul
The casing gone
The world may stop
The time is wrong
The Tūī sing
The raw emotion
The heart that breaks
The altered universe
The sad mistakes
The Tūī sing
The moon shines
The stars spark
The days linger
The years mark
The Tūī sing
The music fades
The memories stored
The heart grows
The love poured
The Tūī sing
The waves crash
The trees bend
The soul is safe
The heart mends
The Tūī sing
Sharon O’Connell
Welcome, Stranger
Welcome, stranger,
to this water now,
the muddy firth, the open sea
beyond.
Walk north at low tide
to the pōhutukawa twining round the rocks
at the end of the bay.
Sit among the red flowers of November
till the oystercatcher trusts you enough
to leave tiny footprints beside yours.
Step carefully among the rocks
tumbled from the mountains behind,
look out for quartz, jasper and even gold,
once pounded out of these hills.
You may even find a pāua shell,
with its nacre so beautiful,
even in death.
Hear the seabirds calling
to the lone woman
far out on the rocks, with a line.
Watch them hover, hover over her
as she twists to check
the turning of the tide.
But still, she keeps her footing.
Breathe in the slow west wind,
wrapping around you,
a feathery shroud.
Breathe out the grief behind you.
Gather the post storm seaweed,
mound it on the roadside
for someone else to collect later.
Your hands will hold that smell,
as the mountains have held these stones
for long enough.
