She left us too soon, too quickly. So here's an open letter we hope she'll read from heaven.
lyrics
Questions for Kass
Wobbling the scarecrow chair across tortured floorboards
Kass, taking down your bandana, rolling your left pant leg up, C’z up, B’z up, KBz, rest in peace
Unworried, now, bout budgeting tobacco crumbs, bum-
puffing brazenly in a house of weeds up to your waist
and ancient tins with tongues of stiffened paint.
Kassandra, Kase, KC. 80kgs of wasted meat.
I’m not bein mean, but you look like a punching bag, hanging from the creaking ceiling, the chain tinkling.
A trickle of piss drops on the white knots of your High Tops
laced just-so, a precise bow between your swinging feet.
Every kid in school heard the beam break,
Heard your mum’s lungs upended in the gutter
Kass, man, admit it, suck it up. Own what you done.
Don’t run.
Shoulda kicked back, chillaxed. Everyone that gets pregnant gets fat.
Shoulda let the haters’ cracks roll off your back.
And forget about the seven bucks I said your arse owes us,
I was jokin, Kass, you didn’t have to react.
Oi: change of tac. Q&A, babe: what’s it like in space?
Can ghosts guess people’s passwords? I need you to do me a solid:
Open your phone. Forensic-test your texts. Tell us
how come you done it.
I tried to ask your brother at the tangi, oi,
First time he been seen without a patch, that boy
He used to seem so scary; now he’s soaked in water,
head heavy.
I tried to grasp his arm, cold and floppy, couldn’t shake his anvil hand.
Michael Botur is a New Zealand poet and fiction writer of European heritage. He is author of ten books and has won a bunch
of bigshot writing awards.
'Loudmouth: Page and Pub Poems' collects 15 years of spoken word verse from one of NZ's most dynamic young poets. Perfect for anyone who loves the personal mixed w the political, a little bit of hip hop and plenty of attitude. www.nzshortstories.com...more
Poet Douglas Kearney and composer/producer/drummer Val Jeanty link up for a a compelling LP that feels like the written word come to life. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 30, 2021