Poems from Elle's perspective

Kiwiana

                                                                               Belting
                                                                                out
                                                                                 the
                                                                                  haka
                                                                                  before
                                                                                   the All
                                                                                    Blacks play,
                                                                                    driving State
                                                                                    Highway One to
                                                                                   the bach at Doubtless
                                                                                  Bay. Trying to make pavlova
                                                                               from the Edmonds book but wait, there's
                                                                          hokey pokey ice cream for later which is
                                                                       great. We've even got Jaffas, jet planes
                                                                         and pineapple lumps, to cheer you
                                                                          up when you're down in the
                                                                              dumps. Nip into Four
                                                                            Square for Marmite
                                                                           and some Watties
                                                                          'mato sauce still
                                                                         wearing dirty
                                                                        gumboots

                                                                     from clearing out
                                                                 the gorse. Enjoy
                                                                a cold Speights
                                                            (good on ya mate),
                                                           or if you're driving,
                                                       an L&P, don't matter
                                                     if you're in jandals or
                                                   your favourite red
                                                 Swannie. She'll be
                                             right, with some
                                          number eight wire,
                                        any bloke will say,
                                    finish 'neath the
                                  Southern Cross
                                 at the end of

                                        every
                                       day.



Shape poem. Written 21 April 2015.

haka = a Maori war dance, often performed before rugby games. Pronounced hah kah.
All Blacks = the New Zealand national rugby team
bach = a holiday home. Pronounced batch.
pavlova = a light meringue dessert popular at Christmas time.
Edmonds = the Edmonds cookbook was the bestselling book in New Zealand for many years. The brand also included a number of baking ingredients.
hokey pokey ice cream = vanilla ice cream with small pieces of toffee throughout.
Jaffas = confectionery with chocolate inside a hard red shell.
jet planes = soft gummy fruit flavoured confectionery in the shape of planes
pineapple lumps = chewy confectionery with a pineapple flavoured centre and a chocolate coating
Four Square = a chain of convenience stores (similar to a 7-Eleven).
Marmite = a yeast-based savoury sandwich spread.
Watties = a brand of food products, most popular for their classic tomato sauce (ketchup).
gumboots = rubber boots (also known as Wellingtons).
Speights = a brand of New Zealand beer.
L&P = a New Zealand soft drink made with lemon and carbonated mineral water from a small town called Paeroa (the name is short for Lemon & Paeroa).
jandals = flip flops
Swannie = Swanndri, a brand of outdoor clothing, popular for their classic red and black or blue and black checkered waterproof jackets.
'She'll be right' = a classic New Zealand attitude that everything will be okay and not to worry about the details.
number eight wire = fencing wire used for a variety of farming uses, come to symbolise New Zealand's innovative ways.
Southern Cross - a star constellation easily seen from the Southern Hemisphere