Auckland
you and I are South Island people
Alex says
10 minutes on the street in Auckland
and I realize I am blinking fast
while impeccably dressed people hurtle past us
toward their ferries
a man on a bike rings his bell three times
then mutters curses
before Alex gets out of his way
at the Countdown grocery
I see the first person panhandling in months
and then we gawk as a Rolls-Royce glides by
here people are just too polished for us
and I already miss the rough grey-green
of West Coast jade
Mom says:
So glad you have shared values which you’re passing on to the next generation (sons and budding naturalist writers).