A love song to Hana Tapiata
‘Make like Hineahuone and fashion yourself into something
the world has never seen before, something the world never
knew it needed to transcend itself.’ — Hana Tapiata
before there was Hana Tapiata
decolonised was a lonely stickler
keeping company with
more rākau than people
chanting pao to manu
seeds in an outstretched
hand then tae mai
Hana poho kererū
cheekbones Hineahuone
and Athena pāpāho
tōtara haemata and millenial
tīoriori owning
over-confidence
and errors with dyed-gold tips
when asked sideways under
long kamokamo do you like
watching yourself on video?
creamy voice like kauri
elementative clear oro
karu tūturu purrs
yeah I do
bet Hana doesn’t have
difficulty in the render
of Te Ao Māori
and intersectional woke
bet Hana doesn’t care
whether she
plucks, shaves or leaves
the feathers