NGA INGOA I TE RANGI – THE NAMES IN THE SKY
i buried my reo
beneath the white chalk of classrooms,
hid vowels like secrets between my teeth
the words left to rot
in the corners of my mouth.
at night, i dream in echoes,
names carved in bone and wind.
my tūpuna call me by a name
i never learned to answer to.
i wear silence like a second skin.
my voice folds in shame
every time i choke on a word
my nan would’ve sung to the sea.
once, i traced the stars with a fingertip
and tried to find home in Orion,
but they don’t teach us Matariki
on concrete playgrounds.
i let my shadows walk ahead
bigger, bolder, brown without apology.
me?
still trying to fit
into mirrors that aren’t made for girls like me.
my ribs echo haka i never screamed.
my hands unknown to the swing of poi.
i feel like a false version of whoever stood before me
a kete with no knowledge or faith
i bite my tongue
so at least my blood can try fit in this mould
of who where why what i need to do
i doubt it
still, i write.
carve my whakapapa into verse
like im weaving my name back into the mist.
so the tui might remember
who im supposed to be.
and the sky
Ranginui he waits,
heavy with all the names i’m learning
to carry again.
Maia Hills
Year 13
Wellington High School
