Nuku (Water)

Published
December 2, 2021
July 9, 2024
Last Updated
December 3, 2022
Contributors
Written by
Tishiko King
she/her
Kulkalaig
Written by
she/her
Kulkalaig
Written by
Guy Ritani
Ia/they/them
Māori
Written by
Ia/they/them
Māori
Written by

A poem about nuku (water) written by Torres Strait Islander woman Tishiko King.

Dear Nuku,

You are the the oxygen that gives me life,
The reason I exist. 
You are the sunshine in my soul, 
you I cannot resist. 

Together we have sailed amongst entitled 
Ships and their money hungry men.
Each wave you guide me to stand up,
Be strong and be better than them.

Each silence that hurts, 
That feels my heart with pain. 
Every time I touch you to heal, 
Your spirit swims through my veins. 

The connection is electrifying,
I constantly yearn for more. 
Always trying to be near you, on the pursue
To feel and smell you, deep into my core. 

You are the medicine, the food
That keeps us alive. 
It is why my people and communities, 
Continue and persevere to survive. 

Because this cloud of colonial construct
And systems of unjust.
The manipulation and greed, 
Through everything, You I always trust. 

Together with the stars, 
The wind and the moon,
We move to the beat of each other,
A spiritual tune. 

Nuku - I love you.

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