Table of Contents
Poetry changes everything Philip Temple 9
Song coming Emma Neale 12
About this collection 14
Part 1 Politics 17
The (Andrew) Little things David Eggleton 19
First reading Alex Taylor 21
Power riddie Cilla McQueen 23
To miss the point entirely Vincent O'Sullivan 24
A song for happy voters Kevin Ireland 25
The General wants a new flag Frankie McMillan 26
My people Philip Temple 27
Serving notice upon the prime minister Siobhan Harvey 28
The head of department's prayer on a change of government Keith Westwater 30
Bite the bright coin its brilliance Michael Harlow 31
Boom Richard Reeve 33
Procyclical Nick Ascroft 34
How they came to privatise the night Maria McMillan 35
Rugby Brian Turner 37
Tornado funnel Vivienne Plumb 38
Enlightenment Beverly Martens 40
Watchtower Luke Sole 41
A display case in the Museum of Communism David Howard 42
Voluntary labour on the Shkumbini River, Albania Chris Else 45
From The Little Ache: A German notebook Ian Wedde 47
A revolutionary sonnet Koenraad Kuiper 49
Streets of Kiev Stephen Oliver 50
First impressions Paula Green 51
New Year cartoons C.K. Stead 52
An international poetry festival in Vietnam Sue Wootton 56
The Greater Wall Liang Yujing 57
Underwear James Norcliffe 59
Part 2 Rights 61
Check Inspector 29 Jeffrey Paparoa Holman 63
Manufacture Ivy Alvarez 65
Abrasion Nigel Brown 66
Boxing Day Peter Olds 68
Papa de los pobres Serie Barford 69
Percentages Benita H. Kape 71
Cabin fever Nell Barnard 73
Winter coast Nicola Easthope 74
Chores Judith Stanley 75
Entitlement Melanie McKerchar 76
My dad loves the All Blacks Jessie Fenton 77
The speed of God Rhian Gallagher 79
Pink Martha Morseth 80
A late take on the Marriage Amendment Act Heather Avis McPherson 81
Talking about rape Ruth Hanover 83
From the house where he took her life Johanna Aitchison 84
Stomach it Amy Paulussen 85
Arohata Janis Freegard 87
Tricks of a treaty kani te manukura 89
Anglican prattle Vaughan Rapatahana 94
The quickest way to trap a folktale Mere Taito 95
Whenua ghosts Ria Masae 97
Speaking rights Anahera Gildea 98
For those of you who insist on using the term Te Urewera 17, 12 or 4 to accompany any newspaper headline or media soundbite Maraea Rakuraku 100
In her own words Sandi Hall 102
Shakespeare on Lorne Carin Smeaton 104
Ah Tonto … watcha gonna do 'bout Aotearoa? Reihana Robinson 105
Aue Zoe Taptiklis 107
Poems promoting peace Aroha Yates-Smith 109
Dig-Oriental Bay Trevor Hayes 112
Occupy Dunedin Alison Denham 113
Waimakariri and the hikoi Kathleen Gallagher 114
First thing Lynley Edmeades 116
Every day my name is out there Diane Brown 117
Part 3 Environment 119
Stamps of Dominion Bridget Auchmuty 121
Recipe for a unitary state Gail Ingram 123
Water underground Anthonie Tonnon 124
Ghost stoat Jonathan Cweorth 126
Super flumina Babylonis Andrew Paul Wood 127
Water Helen Watson White 128
Beach Janet Newman 129
Waste management Janet Charman 131
Story lines Sue Fitchett 132
Old bones John Howell 135
Proposal for the Garden City Doc Drumheller 136
Frankton Supermarket, Queenstown Richard Reeve 137
Dear ET Harvey Molloy 138
Ends Carolyn McCurdie 139
Part 4 Conflict 143
I cannot write a poem about Gaza Tusiata Avia 145
On the World News page Elizabeth Brooke-Carr 147
On acquiring an Old Testament tone Peter Bland 148
Countdown Mary Cresswell 149
How to train a paratrooper in 28 weeks Elizabeth McRae 150
He couldn't stand the sea Marty Smith 151
The plains of hesitation Adrienne Jansen 152
The olives Louise Wallace 153
We're all exiles, Kevin says Mercedes Webb-Pullman 155
Calais haiku Sarah Paterson 156
Dark water Victor Billot 158
Displaced Majella Cullinane 159
The view from the space shuttle Jane Graham George 160
A people's guide to disarmament Catherine Amey 161
Global Emma Neale 163
Dear Messrs Smith & Wesson James Norcliffe 164
Gangsta as Michael Botur 165
Protection order Nicola Thorstensen 166
Reportage Michael Steven 167
No time like the 80s Airini Beautrais 169
The heart jumps up in fear to see the mouths Bernadette Hall 171
The wail: a love story, of sorts Michelle Elvy 172
Barbarians have crossed at the border Pat White 173
Prague 2013: the heart of Europe Paul Schimmel 175
Beacon fire Carolyn McCurdie 176
About the contributors 178
A swarm of poets Murray Edmond 191