From birth, one of my sons has taught me that around every corner there’s sure to be an adventure to be had. All of my children do that in their own way.
I wrote this poem about ten years ago. I wrote it about an elderly couple I often saw walking together in the mornings. It is another observation inspired by the Ootepoti Dunedin suburb of Caversham, where I used to work.
in my mind’s eye
As I turn the corner
there they are, their faces
like smashed, crinkled paper
-bags. They shimmer
towards me holding hands,
talking low
in a foreign language. Cantonese?
Mandarin? It only takes
two seconds and I have them
fixed in my mind
for the rest of the day
burning there
like two hot coals.
Kay McKenzie Cooke
11th Letter In 