room
there are captain cooks amongst us too – bullies,
throwing their weight around
they think they are the centre of the room but that’s only because
they have never been anywhere but there
they have no idea about the edges or even how far the room extends
one day they will realise that we in the corners are really in other centres
they will realise there are no corners
no walls
is it a room? is it a room then, when there are no walls?
i used to want to tell them to move over because they take up all the room
but there’s no room
there is no room
no walls, no room – just links and connections and space
you’re not at the centre; there are no centres
you’re just standing there
one node in a massive network
like the rest of us
Alice Te Punga Somerville
Alice Te Punga Somerville (Te Āti Awa, Taranaki) is a scholar, poet and irredentist. Her poetry has been published in various venues including Ōrongohau: Best New Zealand Poems 2018, Te Rito o te Harakeke, Tātai Whetū, 4th floor, Puna Wai Kōrero, Ora Nui, Mauri Ola and Whetū Moana. Her scholarly publications include Once Were Pacific: Maori Connections to Oceania (Minnesota 2012) and 250 Ways To Start an Essay about Captain Cook (BWB 2020).
NZ Poetry Shelf 