PRIDE 7 deadly sins vol 7 Pure Slush Books.
The variety of human voting
It’s the general election, and after a tumultuous campaign voting concludes on a Saturday in early spring. At the Anglican Hall as a scrutineer I sit behind several Electoral Officials. I’m there to ensure that there is no attempt to influence the voter’s decisions. It’s a big steep high roofed hall with mirrors along the back wall. Who votes?
A man with one leg on crutches
A woman in a wheel chair
Another woman in a wheel chair
A man with three children who declares he is voting green, both party and candidate votes
A man whose orange shirt declares ‘go fuck yourself’
A proud tall young woman who smiles a huge grin at me as she strides in, and out of the hall
A man whom I know asks how I am. I reply ‘I can’t really talk now’
A woman who I’ve recently met sits down, asks me for my phone number, then walks away blushing saying ‘Oh gosh, how embarrassing’
A woman who looks like a fashion model with a child in rainbow dress
A young Indian couple beaming
The smiling officials greet each voter, issue instructions, tear voting papers from the block and fold them, ask for the voters card, clarify name and address
Officials at the special votes booth are busy, lots of people are voting outside their electorate. It looks complicated sometimes.
A scrutineer from another party, the opposition blues looks on, an unfriendly sneer
The people who ask, I haven’t done a tick, just a mark, is that ok?
The woman who returns in a fluster exclaiming ‘I think I left my Ipad in the booth, is it there?’ It is.
Another leaves their glasses
Some people give nothing away
People not on a roll, go over there
https://pureslush.com/store/anthologies-themed/pride-7-deadly-sins-vol-7/
Erothanatos Vol.3 Issue 2
And yolo doves
Glissades in glissando series
Sattva guna (mode of goodness)
Samara (cycle of repeated birth and death)
Raja guna (mode of passion)
Ruxandra
At Puwera
https://www.erothanatos.com/copy-of-v3i2p2-4
Nga Kupu Waikato: an anthology of Waikato poetry
This is the river
CRYZANTHENUM BOUGANVILLEA CLEMATIS ZINNIA
TOTARA RATA POHUTUKAWA TANGO NEPHRITE PLUM
this is the river that flows through me,
khaki surges whirlpools + splash
rolling sinuous + tensile,
a taniwha breathing fogs + mist
pouring from valleys ignited by tui kotare kakariki + swan
loaded + heaving, stained into ignimbrite + clay,
the colours squeezed kokopu phosphorescent inanga
translucent trout neon arcing a flamenco haka
of petals leaves feathers wing + fin
they dive flick + twist
aerobatic sculptures + putangitangi
trumpeting
WAIKATO WAIKATO WAIKATO
shedding vortices of polarity + discharge
magnetic fields that pulse + kick
electric + luminous.
The Wild Word #36 Its a kind of magic
Watching the sky speak
Open to the world
On the wing of light
About Piet Nieuwland
Poetry is not a luxury, it is a necessary part of the creativity of every day.
Piet Nieuwland has poems and flash fiction appear in numerous print and online journals published in New Zealand, Australia, United States of America, Canada, India and Germany.
He is a performance poet, edits Fast Fibres Poetry and lives near Whangarei.
In a previous life he worked as a conservation strategist for Te Papa Atawhai in Aotearoa/New Zealand
He welcomes email contact at pietn@outlook.com