29 October 2020 MICHAEL DOM – LAE Strangers teach you to sing songs and march to a drum that they own; To reject your garamut, your kundu and the stilled speech of wood; Their soporific chorus dulls your mind and cheats your Black soul. This piece first appeared on PNG Attitude on 11 January 2014Continue reading “Sijo on the Loss of Culture”
Category Archives: Poetry
SOSEPANI BONA LUISA
28 October 2020 TRANSLATION BY REV. WILLIE MOSES AND CHRISTINE MOSES Ooooh Lalokau, Mani unu gadobada hurehuredia aha kala henidia. Kone ai ehepatakaumu, kunu asi ramina na heto. Una lai maivalona ese niu retadia ekoedia laomu, ekoedia maimu. Ehegiromu bona eheude heudemu. Mavaru kekenidia moale gabudiai na heto. Ooooh Lalokau. Na laloamu bema oi lauContinue reading “SOSEPANI BONA LUISA”
Bernard Narokobi – Leader, Legislator, Literatus
28 October 2020 GREGORY BABLIS Port Moresby In 1995 when Bernard Narokobi was minister for agriculture, he, Bart Philemon and Jerry Nalau voted against Prime Minister Julius Chan’s proposed bill for an Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Governments. Given the ongoing conflict in Bougainville and violent bid for secession there, the three MinistersContinue reading “Bernard Narokobi – Leader, Legislator, Literatus”
Tonight the Moon Carries Her Umbrella
27 October 2020 She rises late in the afternoon And tonight she carries her umbrella Smoky tendrils trail behind her glittering sarung kobaya As she strolls across my universe Far, far away she walks, alone Where my arms cannot reach to embrace her *Dia beranjak keslangan hori ini Dan molom ini dia membawa payungnya GugusanContinue reading “Tonight the Moon Carries Her Umbrella”
Turangu Morie
26 October 2020 GREGORY BABLIS You asked me why, why don’t I leave you?But in the same breath, you walked over and locked the doorMy head spun, as blow after blowYou performed me a special numberMy own tune that night after night I fell asleep to. Neim blo yu em bikpla lo PNGYou told meContinue reading “Turangu Morie”
Yu Lukim Drai Garas Antap Long Ol Rap Kat Diwai
26 October 2020 TOK PISIN TRANSLATION BY RAYMOND SIGIMET Yu lukim drai garas antap long rap kat diwai Na giraun plo blong haus blong mi Taim mi opim haus dua long yu Na yu tingting long yu yet hau yu ken halivim mi. Na yet … Mi simelim tuhat blong dispela moning mipela katim kunaiContinue reading “Yu Lukim Drai Garas Antap Long Ol Rap Kat Diwai”
You See Dried Grass Over Rough Cut Logs
26 October 2020 MICHAEL DOM You see dried grass over rough cut logsAnd the earth floor of my houseWhen I open my home to youAnd you think to yourself how you can help me.And yet…I smelled the air that morning we cut the kunai grassAnd I heard the children laughing as they playedOn the greenContinue reading “You See Dried Grass Over Rough Cut Logs”
Lukim Hia Displa Ol Lus Tret
24 October 2020 Tok Pisin translation by Raymond Sigimet Lukim hia dispela ol lus tret, Lukim hau mi holim ol long han Na hau mi tanim antap long lek tais blong mi? Skin i tait na silek long tupela, Ol han na lek tais blong mi, Tasol ol i gat bun yet Long dispela wokContinue reading “Lukim Hia Displa Ol Lus Tret”
Relishing Thoughts of Sago Starch
24 October 2020 MICHAEL DOM That’s the very sago itself Decorate the muddy waters Those palms have spiky pines Will skewer like spears But when its trunk is felled Put your adze into it And water will cream up food That’s the very sago itself Oh man, ancestral crocs Must have dreamed well To seeContinue reading “Relishing Thoughts of Sago Starch”
Where Am I From?
23 October 2020 GREGORY BABLIS A poem about identity and unity and the thingsthat make us different yet interlink us I am from land, from river, sea and mountain.I am from valley and volcano, from chilly mountain breeze and steaming lava.I am from mother, father, uncle and aunty, proud in traditions, passed through generations.I amContinue reading “Where Am I From?”
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