Sunday, November 22, 2009

3 poems by Vaughan Rapatahana

3 poems by Vaughan Rapatahana 





Pachyderm words


Oral examiners meeting, Yau Ma Tei, 2009


on stage

the bullshit
s p e w s:
an ELEPHANTINE
roar
incessant

we are all
far too old
to hear
such
clumsy
pedantry,

crouched
awkward
on silly
stools,
clumped
e  n  f  i  l  a  d  e  d
on sterile floor

kiddy talk
lambastes
our ears;
the effluence
s p i l l i n g  ever  on,
basting
us
into
torpid
sub
mission

flick the boxes
scribe the pages
guffaw on prompt

no mahouts us:
mere
clumps
of dried dung
ready to

d
r
o
p.


Listen to this poem:



* * *



filipino fling

quake

that
liquid
     flash
of
leonine
eyes,

the
cupolaed
     dash
of
inner
thighs –

essential
ingredients
for
a
filipino
fling.

seize
this
quick
effervescent

       s
    a  m,
  p
s

speeeeding
           toward
                        stasis:


perhaps

a
Palladium
of
promise…

more
likely,

a mix

you’ll
never

quaff…


Listen to this poem:


* * *



faded love

faded love:

an

   turn
 p     e
u       d

milkshake.

last

vestige

ice
mush,

faint froth
flecks,

your
lipmark
trace

on
  the
                  edge

of  my

mind.

Listen to this poem:


© Vaughan Rapatahana 2009


Vaughan Rapatahana is a New Zealand Maori. He lived 5 years in Brunei Darussalam, where he learned Malay. Now, he is settled in Tin Shui Wai, Hong Kong, with his Filipino wife. They have travelled to Malaysia a few times, the last in August, 2009.

He has writings published in Aotearoa-New Zealand, Hong Kong and The Philippines.

1 comment:

  1. Wow!These poems are really powerful..I really love them.Aesthetically,eloquently and utterly well written.

    ReplyDelete

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