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wasn’t this the site, asked the historian
by Olivia Goldsmith (New Zealand)
May 2023
Audio: “wasn’t this the site, asked the historian,” read by Olivia Goldsmith
picture this:
a book of poems, plucked from a shelf
open to a familiar page,
the paper gently yellowed.
a singular voice fills the soft air
in this cold midnight winter.
picture this:
a young afternoon, quietly beginning
to fill with rain.
a man recites to the little child
the poem that he learned
when the book’s pages were clean and new.
picture this:
a different man, long ago
thinks about settlers, thinks about change
and thinks about House and Land.
he writes it down,
and the words become of everybody.
picture this:
now we are driving home
we are thinking about wind
in the nor-west; a lost dog
hiding in a barrel
we recite the poem, together.
it is perfect.
Footnote
The poem is “House and Land” by Allen Curnow, and always specifically the last verse.
Olivia Goldsmith, age 18, is a writer from Aotearoa New Zealand studying English and Physics. Olivia loves reading, climbing, and most of all swimming in the sea. At the centre of this piece of writing is the poem ‘House and Land‘ by Allen Curnow.
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Clare
5/26/23, 6:23 AM
Congratulations Claire - this is a powerful piece - this feeling of a yearning for a home that may not even exist anymore will be something that everyone who lives outside of their original homeland will resonate with. Well done.
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Love the words I mean the way you coin the letters bravo! And also a fellow Nigerian as well good luck
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Love the words I mean the way you coin the letters bravo! And also a fellow Nigerian as well good luck
Akinlose Emmanuel
5/24/23, 11:04 AM
An amazing piece, quite figurative and exciting to read.
Adin Underwood
5/6/23, 12:18 AM
It's staggering just how many topics this poem can apply to. Very eye opening. 10/10
Adin Underwood
5/6/23, 12:14 AM
Although it may seem simple on the surface it is quite charming to see just how much thought and effort was put into understanding how a cat acts and thinks.
Adin Underwood
5/6/23, 12:10 AM
I liked how even though each line was different it always came back to the central theme.
Sarah Parker
4/28/23, 3:01 PM
This was a wonderful piece to read. I can't imagine haven't been told about periods and sex. I was in fifth grade when I took a class. And even then, there were things they left out. This was a really important topic to write about. Great job!!
Sarah Parker
4/28/23, 3:01 PM
This was a wonderful piece to read. I can't imagine haven't been told about periods and sex. I was in fifth grade when I took a class. And even then, there were things they left out. This was a really important topic to write about. Great job!!