Vanua
sprung from two islands
arctic-north and pacific-south
porcelain white skin against soft soil dark brown
walking between families
—communities—cultures—customs—
part of and separate from
porcelain white skin against soft soil dark brown
she thought him exotic familiar and foreign
born of a union that held no solid ground
stigmata skin carrying sin
shattered as violently as molten poured
born of a union that held no solid ground
third island land-down-under on burramatta ground
grew on highlands
darug and gundungurra land
cold and rugged
familiar and foreign
wild hair cascading spiral knots
conformed to salon styled curls
walking between families
—communities—cultures—customs—
shame
un-natural exotic self-othered taboo
soft soil dark brown on sunburnt land
un-subtle too political too proud
stigmata skin carrying sin
the black instinctual way:
violent
her mother —her mother’s mother’s mother did say
those black—those black men—those black men and their offspring
those are their ways
swept up in a world rigid
expectation takes sway
stigmata skin carrying sin
broken
on burramatta ground
arctic-north, pacific-south and land-down-under collided
married gooreng gooreng fella against own better judgement
on yaggera ground
walking between families
—communities—cultures—customs—
birthed children
born of a union that held no solid ground
part of and separate from
met a woman with porcelain white skin
like pacific island vines entwined
ways strong and familiar bodies tangled lives combined
porcelain white skin against soft soil dark brown
arctic north, pacific south and land down under collided
sprung from two Islands
connected to all three
porcelain white skin against soft soil dark brown
walking between families
—communities—cultures—customs—
vanua
on wurundjeri ground
