Cuppa Words – ‘My Coromandel’, ‘Why?´and ‘But they let me quietly become myself’

My Coromandel by Michelle Johns

Over the winding hills, I easily slip back in time
To see children running barefoot, singing tell-tale nursery rhymes
A time when ice-creams were as big as your face
And jumping in the sea was a family race
I can distinctly remember my Uncle Jack’s boat
In Te Kouma Harbour she was kept afloat
My Mum holding the back of my pants in a bunch
As I generously fed fish my breakfast, and lunch
Over the years friends would come and go
But I could always lure them back to our beautiful Coro
Missing the old-fashioned spirit of community
And ‘bloody good’ mussel fritters at Peppertree
When I must wave goodbye
In my rearview mirror I spy
The green rolling hills, translucent sea, and I smile
So long Coromandel Town, see you again in a little while!

But they let me quietly become myself by yaning Ma Foreman

There are sheep bleating next to the church
After a while, two ducks appeared in the church hall
A black-tailed bird stayed on my car window for a long time
In the mountains in the early morning, I heard the sound of people riding horses
Going down the mountain, the sound of Maori shells floated from afar
All this can’t bring me good luck
But they let me quietly become myself
Spring is simple and unpretentious, neither accepting nor giving
Spring finally knows that she has an invincible summer
Spring, I am the one who picks up petals
My body is full of soil and fragrance
If you are tired, just wither for a few days, you don’t have to bloom and sprout all the time
You are part of spring