Remains

"Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua." - "As man disappears from sight, the land remains."

The land remains supporting the soles of my feet.

Stared at the alabaster man, now obsolete,

Stared back he did, cracked empty eye sockets, complete

With you, staring too, alabaster hat your seat.

White wings match the clouds, all impasto in texture.

No fabric to cover your made-to-fit vesture, 

No rifle cased up, just beak with which to gesture

To alabaster armour, punctured by weather.

Busied ourselves; governed with false words and claimed soil.

Made mankind powerful, self-important, and spoilt,

Made taunting promises of potential control,

While the fairness of Nature leaves this plan foiled:

Her wind and rain able to crack, lichen able to spread and webbed feet able to obscure alabaster imitations of power and its immortality.

"Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua." - "As man disappears from sight, the land remains."