A carved tiki
over the counter
some flax wall hangings,
a rare copy of Tuwhare's
Selected Poems on the
magazine rack (the one
that McIndoe did with the
superb Bernard Holman cover).
'You've got good taste!'
I say holding the book up
to the woman behind the counter..
'Yeah,' she laughs -- 'and everyone
wants to steal it!' . . .
The coffee machine
lets out a long hiss . . .
It's 40 years since I
picked tobacco here - -
hitching up from Dunedin
to pick tobacco with
a mate I'd met at a pub
just starting to think about
writing and the possibility of
an arty life in New Zealand.
I borrowed a book of poems
and stories by Dylan Thomas
from a fellow picker (a girl
from training college) - -
Dylan's picture on the cover:
pen raised, fag in mouth
wild curly hair, bow tie,
lips like tobacco leaves
before the early morning dew
dries the leaves