Hopurangi—Songcatcher: Poems from the Maramataka

I began writing this review with a reflection of what it means to be a secondary school teacher who loves literature, and the challenge Robert Sullivan gives to teachers of literature in the poem ‘Tangaroa Whāriki Kiokio: You’ll Get an Email from Me’ to “fill every school/ in Aotearoa with our voices,” the voices of local Māori poets. It is a challenge that I hope you will agree, we are up to.

The poetry, without hesitation, beautifully interweaves Māori with English. You will find yourself contemplating the wonder of a spider abseiling, or a coned radiata candle, mingled alongside “korero, ngā kaikōrero, whakamuri, whakamu and in between.” You will find yourself too, travelling to the Taj Mahal, along State Highway 1, to Ōamaru and elsewhere, perhaps “into sovereign darkness”, or to “find the way into the matrix.” Each poem is inspired by the energies of the Māori Lunar Calendar, Maramataka and the landscapes you will travel through are as inspiring as they are diverse. Just when you think you know where you are, you have the appearance of the unexpected: Taylor Swift, Keanu Reeves, Van Morrison, not to mention royalty from the television series, The Crown.

I’m not sure what it is, but there are echoes of James K. Baxter throughout and I was reminded over and over again of the lines, “Yet see the red-gold cirrus ... over snow-mountain shine” from ‘High Country Weather’. With Sullivan’s collection, the intensity of imagery, not unlike Baxter, echoes “of love, such as the gold over the snow-capped mountains, and the gold in fields of spring.” (Ōuenuku: Anei Anō he Rā’). There is a depth of heart and spirit that I found enticing and exhilarating. Sullivan’s own words that the anthology “covers a period of personal growth and change”, are reflected in the vivid imagery of each poem.

My favourite lines come from what I would call an astonishing poem, ‘Tamatea Āio: Āio ke te Rangi / Rave On’, a prime example of the energising effect these poems have over you.
“… I’m looking at clouds again more like paint splashes / with the last bit of blue sky behind them like other / paintings underneath a sky that recycles / its art. It has been a hard day today / and this softness is very welcome.”

This would work well as a read aloud.