Reflections from Motuora Island

I haven't posted for a while, though I've been on holiday! A week ago I spent five days on Motuora Island, a DOC reserve south of Kawau Island in Northland, as a DOC volunteer. I loved the experience, learning and doing conservation work, kayaking, swimming, relaxing, snorkeling, and chatting with the other volunteers. A highlight was looking for, and finding, kiwis in the wild. We stayed in a 1950s bach overlooking the pohutukawas, white beach and crystal clear water. I loved it. One lazy evening after reading Odysseus's travels in Homer's Odyssey (translated of course!), my brain got to wandering and I penned these lines - a few reflective thoughts.

~

As clouds wisp over the purple weave
When the sun lengthens the shadows
When calm descends to mark the eve
As the crisp-chopped swells turn smooth
I consider what my life is not
I rue the fortune of my lot.

As Odysseus and Calypso love each night
When the goddess holds him a captive
When lovers flirt, tease, lust and ignite
As men redeem youth in these chains
I float in freedom's ether haze
I thirst for fiefdom, love ablaze.

As religion and dogma begin to deflate
When edicts expose their hypocrisy
When philosophical walls disintegrate
As lost souls seek shelter from storms
I see my Lord on the grassy rough
I hear his voice say "I am enough."

As peace and beauty scent the breeze
When selfishness rots the flesh
When friends deodorise my disease
As flies of peers feast on the shame
I pray for innocence again for all
I long for retroaction to restore my fall.

~