Haumia
“Haumia”
where fantails
had saltimbiqued
the day before
above a nameless creek
a spade was left standing
in the bush today
an orange and black spade
trade-marked ” Atlas”
planks lay
across the streams to it
without any boot-treads
in the mud
no digging or planting
where it had lodged
with one clean cut
while
in another gully
ferns blew around
in a constant downdraught
left was
the spade’s advent
the spade itself planted
and kept
Te Awamutu
3 July 2015
Haumia is the Maori god of uncultivated plants, edible fern-roots etc.