Public poetry

Today I chose a midday run to the Wynyard Quarter. Up on the Gantry, I had an excellent view of these two silos (part of the extensive Tank Farm). The Tank Art Project, supported by art stalwart Hamish Keith has commissioned a number of artists to decorate the silos and tanks until they are eventually removed.

The first in the project was inspired by C.K. Stead's poem Auckland, which has been included in the paintings by renowned Street Artist, Elliott O'Donnell (AskewOne).

In November I put up a photo of four other silos nearby, which had also been done with parts of the poem, which is included in full on these two silos. Recently, I blipped another work by AskewOne.

Below is the full text of the poem by C.K. Stead. If you look at the photo large, all the words can be read.

Auckland

There are dreamscapes
                               and realscapes.

                           This one I suspect
                                               is real
though the sun is walking on water
and the sea out at the yellow buoy
                                            is silk.

                An orange container-ship
is rounding North Head.
                           Green Rangitoto
pictures itself
and is not displeased.
                        Moehau, deep blue
insists on distance.

                              Swimming back
on my back
                               I become again
the connoisseur of clouds -
feathers and fleeces.

                            A gull drifts over
                                               a tern
                                     a gull again
white on
white
on blue.

                               A low-altitude
                                   exocet shag
                            (late for lunch?)
hurtles across.

                This is the life that goes
                                  godlessly on
a poem without words
a gift without conditions
                                        a present
without a past.