For Colenso 

wishing to do good 
for the welfare of subjects 
no civil powers 
good will be futile 
always ready to restrain them 

expressly for your own good 
down low, small, a worm, a crawler 
no, no, no – my land has gone 
let us remain as we were 
come forward and interpret for me 

they say a great deal which does not translate to you
others were afraid to show their nose
those fellows and creatures who sneak about
sticking to rocks and to the side of brooks and gullies
may not have it all

no, no – go back, stranger, man of yesterday
hawker and pedlar
foreigner, up and down
our lands are already all gone
this, my friends, is a good thing

I am sick, I am dead, killed by you
remain for us – a father, a judge, a peacemaker
convulsed with laughter
in plain clothes except for his hat
and unaccompanied by any of the officers

allow me to make a remark or two
quite children in their ideas
it is no easy matter
I well know
to get them to understand

I consider that I have
discharged my duty
we are now one people
there were two blankets and a small quantity of tobacco
for each signatory to the treaty

Note: William Colenso’s The Authentic and Genuine History of the Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi provided the found language for this text, and because of the nearly chronological order of the above statements in the original, the poem can be considered a deletion.

First published in Selection 2018.