Bio
Nicola is a high school teacher and writer from Raumati South in Aotearoa New Zealand, living on the lands of Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai. She has penned two poetry collections, 'leaving my arms free to fly around you' (Steele Roberts, 2011) and 'Working the tang' (The Cuba Press, 2018) and has been a guest at the Queensland Poetry Festival (2012), Tasmanian Poetry Festival (2018) and a few LitCrawls (Wellington), as well as readings in her neighbourhood. At present, she is working on a chapbook and a full-length collection delving into her settler-colonial Scottish ancestry. You can find some of her work at gannet-ink - poetry and performance at the tideline
Nicola Easthope
Rare
On a rare evening
the sea's sun-flash sinks to green
like a sudden flatline without the machine.
Do you remember when you'd dance us
in daylight, one child buoyant
on each sea-skin slipper?
In each bedroom, you'd dusk us
Somewhere my love
to sleep.
Your lucky shoulders
one for each—
steady we go!
Now we are thrown
by the curve of
the horizon.