I was recently in Wellington
and my friend Eileen took me to visit
the gallery where she paints.
There is a new exhibition
she told me.

Her surprise was immediate.
The room
was carpeted in grass
and small canvasses around the walls
carried the words
NZ
SOLD


I asked Eileen to stand at the far door
and she pulled her hat over eyes. 

Outside the trees in the gallery grounds were bandaged in wet newspaper.



My thoughts after seeing....

GRASS

Out of the messiness
the chaos
came grass

a room carpeted in grass

Quick! Shut the door!
Shut the door!
Foreigners are coming!
Foreigners are coming!
This grass is ours!
This grass is mine!

Ah ha! Sighed the Grass
sadly smiling.
I too was a foreigner.
I, Grass
came from a foreign land
but

nobody said
wrap the trees
in love..
home of a million birds...
rain-callers
air-givers

Trees!

Ah ha! Sighed the Grass.
See my lush greeness
but see not money
not progress.