David Eggleton is a New Zealand-born poet of part-

Polynesian (Tongan, Rotoman) descent who grew up in Fiji

and Auckland. He dropped out of school to take up
performance music and poetry and is now based in
Dunedin.

‘Under Mangere Mountain’ – David Eggleton

The Indian greengrocer smiles,

a Bombay movie star,
amongst his deep-red watermelons,
orange blistered tangelos,
rain-washed sun-kissed mangos.
Peaches cling together.
Steam rises from the concrete curves of airport motels,
From shower-soaked market gardens.
Cars nose like fish
Through the humid air.
The ocean-blue sky unfurls creamy reefs of cloud.
Gentle breezes off the fresh salt spray sweep across the isthmus.
Leaves are emerald geckos doing acrobatics.
The jelly-green hill quivers.