Coromandel’s Collaborative Magazine

Common Ground – A Page Dedicated to Expression April 2023

Common Ground is a page dedicated to expression.

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.

Ceridwyn Parr

Make a Donation for Coromind