WORDS FOR CHRISTCHURCH - PAULA GREEN

From the Christchurch City Libraries Blog

With the help of Graham “Bookman” Beattie, we’ve launched an open invitation for writers from around New Zealand to send us words for Christchurch.
The first piece – received minutes after the invitation was offered – is from Paula Green, a West Auckland poet, children’s author and reviewer.

February

We feel far away

Someone is watching a movie and someone is choosing sushi
Someone is leaving a building and someone is in a phone booth
Someone is picking a library book and someone is baking bread
Someone is making love and someone is poaching eggs
Someone is drinking coffee and someone is drinking tea
Someone is listening to an iPod and someone is digging weeds
Someone is asking for forgiveness and someone is saying yes
Someone is holding her baby and someone is on the point of death

We feel far away and helpless

There are pictures of buildings falling and pictures of broken signs
There are pictures of cracked roads and pictures of papers flying
There are pictures of houses split in two and pictures of rising silt
There are pictures of colossal boulders and pictures of the miracles
There are pictures of teams searching and pictures of the cathedral
There are pictures of the walking dazed and pictures of the inconceivable
There are pictures of bloodstained faces and pictures of strained limbs
There are pictures of survivors weeping and pictures of hope undimmed

Helpless, we feel helpless

There is the sound of thumping hearts and the sound of rumbling ground
There is the sound of car alarms and the sound of someone found
There is the sound of china smashing and the sound of fires raging
There is the sound of phones unanswered and the sound of those afraid
There is the sound of reporters speechless and the sound of stories told
There is the sound of walls slumping and the sound of a further jolt
There is the sound of sirens shrieking and the sound of names listed
There is the sound of the mayor’s updates and the sound of labour gifted

Footnote from The Bookman:
Thank you Paula for your beautiful contribution.

Here is my orginal post from yesterday in case you missed it:

A request to the literary community in New Zealand to help Christchurch and Canterbury

Words for Christchurch
Richard Liddicoat, Christchurch City Libraries

I’m writing to ask the literary community in New Zealand to help Christchurch and Canterbury.

http://cclblog.wordpress.com/2011/03/19/christchurch-words-can-not-explain/

As you know, scores of people have died. Landmarks and icons are dust. Our cherished city has been battered and broken.

We will rebuild, but have a long road ahead. We know our situation could be worse, but we need you to help sustain us as we move on.

Please, write some words for Christchurch. Inspire us, encourage us, humour us, delight us, surprise us. Help us keep our sanity, and our perspective.

Send contributions to richard.liddicoat@ccc.govt.nz, and we’ll publish them on our blog at http://cclblog.wordpress.com/
 
Further footnote from The Bookman:
I invite authors and other book people with blogs to post the above on their own blogs, likewise perhaps publishers could bring it to the notice of their authors. Many thanks, let us get Words flowing for Christchurch.