Te Whare Tapu o Te Wairua

 

D’borah

Dal
is for door:
I have hung your fragrance
over the parted veil
of my entrance.

Bet
is for tent floor:
My spirit rolls out
a rug to rest my soul.
There is room for you.

Waw
is for tent peg:
The violent hook that lifted you up
and holds me down like the tree
whose branches grow so heavy
they stab the ground slow.

Resh
is for a man’s head:
The firstborn from among the dead,
you were first to love me.
My house is your house.

Hhet
is for tent wall:
Tall enough to hold me in,
soft enough to carve you on,
thin enough to burn me up
when my breath
has gone.