"Objects gift you with new insights and stories about yourself" - Zech Soakai reflects on Poetry Object 2019
The taonga (treasure) that I chose to memorialise in verse was a rusty old toy car that my cousin Silafaga (who was seven years old at the time) gave to me before I left Samoa to return to Aotearoa, New Zealand. Objects are such interesting things and I feel when you take time to hold them – in all their layers and physicality – they often gift you with new insights and stories about yourself. This was definitely my experience with this particular treasure and I hope you enjoy reading this poem as much as I enjoyed writing it!