I Saw Three Ships
I dreamed we waited in a stadium;
thousands of happy children filled the place
to overflowing. I turned to smile
at you, but instead of seeing your face
I saw a luminous uncanny void
shaped like an egg. I woke up terrified.
Then the scene shifted and we found ourselves
by a massive concrete block outside
on which a grubby sheet concealed a child
that may have been dead. Sick with despair
I watched you send it rolling with your hand
and leave it crumpled on the bottom stair.
Then came the final scene. Sitting alone
in the darkening stadium, we knew at last
the meaning of our loss when three great ships,
with not a soul on board, swept blindly past.
By Alistair Te Ariki Campbell