Cardinal red talons tightly grip on a blooming budding branch.
A snow side apron brushes over the olive feathers.
Elegant jade wings cease into acute arches,
abrupting to the indigo skies.
Soaring into the sky while riding the winds,
the rough breeze slipping lower and lower.
Sapphire jewelled eyes are scouting
and scrambling for the miro berries.
The tiny scarlet beak swiftly snatched the fleshy red ripe berries.
A snatching stealing pluck.
Juices spilled,
with the crush of the beak like a mortar and pestle finely grinding.
Edges of the beak are still bathing within the crimson extract,
some juices still dripping.
About the Poet
School student Selena likes writing poetry as a hobby and chose to write about the kererū as it is a native bird that to her, represents Aotearoa. She enjoy other creative pursuits including drawing, and her dream is to be a picture book writer, inspired by Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox.
Selena’s beautifully descriptive portrayal of the kererū here is enough to conjure up for the reader a richly colourful image of the bird, even if you have never
seen one before.
