Patupaiarehe

'Patupaiarehe' - A fairy-like creature of Maori mythology

Zey existed somewhere outside of the binary;

Zeir skin was midnight-black and zeir heart was rotten with stories

And when zey smiled

I could taste peaches

Zey stood tall, shoulders back, and it drew me up

I wanted to stand as tall as zeir;

I wanted zeir to see.

 

Zey danced like no other; zeir feet shuffling in too-big shoes,

Zeir hands tracing the air in grand half-moons

I could see zeir neon trail etched in the grey of the pavement

Like zey were eternal

And even when the city crumbled,

Zey would be dancing in the rubble

Studs clicking, toes scuffing.

 

Zey taste like lightning -

Lightning and candy-apples, drenched in rain

And zey whisper in a voice like a gushing spring,

Making promises zey will never be able to honour

But that is the price, to be seen by zeir

What zey do give you �" and what you lose �"

Cannot be compared; not while you’re being stared down

By eyes of obsidian, and

The grinding of our hips, and

The smile of a patupaiarehe