Kōrero: Beachcombing

After the storm

After the storm

Eastbourne, on the eastern shore of Wellington Harbour, is relatively exposed to southerly storms, and large waves can sweep in through the harbour entrance. Maggie Rainey-Smith, whose son's dog Buster is shown here, wrote a poem about what she found after one storm.

What\'s you story?

Contributed by Maggie Rainey-Smith

After the storm

Our dog Buster
finds a dead calf
nestling in tussock

next to a whole
tree, upturned
and vulnerable

roots exposed
entangled in sand
abandoned

along the beach
we find
iridescent bottle tops, and

a cup from McDonalds
that tells us we’ve been waiting
for this moment all our lives

And in the litter of logs
and kelp, seagulls plunder
broken shells for food

locals collect
salty firewood, and
our dog dances on wave tops

head back, teeth bared
grinning like an Olympic swimmer
who’s just won gold.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Private collection
Photograph by Sam Rainey-Smith

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Te tuhi tohutoro mō tēnei whārangi:

Carl Walrond, 'Beachcombing - The human factor', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/community-contribution/7201/after-the-storm (accessed 19 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Carl Walrond, i tāngia i te 12 Jun 2006