West rail distance
arm
around you,
slunk
d
e
e
p
in sleep
on
my shoulder,
as West rail
stole us
home
to
tin shui wai,
l o n g from
tsim sha tsui;
a thought
strode
my mind -
that
we were
there:
finally
conjoined,
en route lifelong.
but,
when
I
slipped
closertokiss,
surreptitious,
your speedy twitch
away
merely
dovetailed our d i s t a n c e.
still
some way to go,
as the train
ceased,
with
us
un coupled.
Rapatahana is a New Zealand Maori, married to a lady from Pampanga, where they have a home. Lived and worked in Asia for years—including five in Brunei Darussalam, one in PR China (Xi'an), six on and off in Hong Kong—plus several other places worldwide. Published throughout Asia—Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Philippines, Aotearoa (N.Z), and Australia. Longlisted for Proverse Prize in Literature, 2009. Author of English Through Poetry series, User Friendly Resources, Christchurch, N.Z.
arm
around you,
slunk
d
e
e
p
in sleep
on
my shoulder,
as West rail
stole us
home
to
tin shui wai,
l o n g from
tsim sha tsui;
a thought
strode
my mind -
that
we were
there:
finally
conjoined,
en route lifelong.
but,
when
I
slipped
closertokiss,
surreptitious,
your speedy twitch
away
merely
dovetailed our d i s t a n c e.
still
some way to go,
as the train
ceased,
with
us
un coupled.
Rapatahana is a New Zealand Maori, married to a lady from Pampanga, where they have a home. Lived and worked in Asia for years—including five in Brunei Darussalam, one in PR China (Xi'an), six on and off in Hong Kong—plus several other places worldwide. Published throughout Asia—Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Philippines, Aotearoa (N.Z), and Australia. Longlisted for Proverse Prize in Literature, 2009. Author of English Through Poetry series, User Friendly Resources, Christchurch, N.Z.
