Spirit of the Land - Makiuti Tongia

This land is my home

where the naked mountains caress

the sky

and the veins of hills run to the sea.

This land is my home

where I’ll live alone until

my hair grows white

and my bones grow old

then I’ll hang my spirit on tree tops

to provide a cushion of coolness

for children who gather round

evening fires.

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Makiuti Tongia (born 1953) Cook Islands (Rarotonga)

Source: Chau Chak Wing Museum