She rises, unrested, and steps
Onto the narrow balcony
To find the day. To greet
The Sunday God she sings to.
But this morning His face is clouded.
Grey and wet as a corpse
Washed by tears.
Behind her, in the tangled bedding,
the children bicker and whine.
Worrying the cheap furniture
Like hungry puppies.
They clutch at her threadbare gown
with hands as insistent and
unforgiving as the clock’s.
She wishes she could dream.
Finding in the darkness
A life unaided by
The office lights’ bleak florescence,
The whining of the vacuum cleaner,
The endless emptying and
Refilling of rubbish bins.
Last night she paused, panting.
Held captive by a single word
‘Wellbeing’. A selfish word.
Comfortable and sated.
A word accustomed
To feeling well and being safe.
A word with a working lock.
Budgeting was something
They made her do at WINZ.
Recalling the Miracle of
The Loaves and Fishes.
Jesus feeding five thousand.
She’d settle for food to feed
Five hungry children.
Was that happening today?
A budgeting miracle?
Housing found? Children fed?
The man from the adjoining unit,
Heading for the bus-stop,
Eyes her narrowly.
No Jesus here.
Chris Trotter
19 May 2022
Hmm…
Exactly.
Agree Well-being is a hollow and does not mean much to those in need. You are right it has working lock and can exclude people the state deems deplorable or not important enough its a sad day when we reach this point in society. But hey thats where the Neoliberal economic system has got us to. Enjoy the budget.
PS I did not know U were a poet Christopher Trotter
A part of our purpose is to anticipate the actions of the powerful and incompetent.
I realise the average kiwi voter wishes to remain unchanged. Bill English remians bitter.
Once Luxon gives his budget speech we will know everything.
How ever let’s offer an alternative budget. One that conveys the ambition to not change.
I offer words. And I offer logic. Bill English and John Keys lingering vengeance (Luxon) will now be put specifically towards poverty bashing. More importantly I know financial middle men. They will take extra pleasure in betraying the underclass.
How ever long covid will not permit such actions. That is why Luxon must attempt such actions. That is it.
What on earth does that mean?
Instead I will offer you this – try pulling away from your permanent state of confusion.
Why can’t you say what you mean rather than trying to sound smart?
Who’s confused?
That’s 2 questions in a row you’ve asked that lean towards the negative. It’s difficult to have a normal conversation with someone bent on formalising questions. I don’t really mind if you want to have a moan but if you want me to talk to you and answer you’re questions – trying formulating your questions with an actual question in it.
nortradamus said in 27th canto
in a rocky windswept land down under the beast will ravage the earth and his sign shall be
lots and lots of aspiration
more middle class socialism
bribes to business
bribes to key demographics
nowt for those that actually need it
and lo I say unto ye, nostradamus was truly spot on.
Lets see what the budget delivers.
I’m expecting to be underwhelmed.
Governing as the lesser of two evils is hardly transformational.
I venture the average voter who votes couldn’t really care less about Climate change,the LGBTXYZ Community,or education for that matter.
Basic costs of living ,housing ,health and law and order are the …issues imo.
The lunacy of expecting one day in the year being a ‘Christmas Day’ where all the ills and possibilities in a society are addressed and sorted by a financial statement is, well, lunacy. The Budget as entertainment, a media event.
The result is known as much the All Blacks playing the Falkland Islands.
The newstalkzb radio guy will have it as the worst budget in history, doesn’t do what needs to be done, doesn’t address the real issues in meaningful ways, is out of touch with reality, is misguided, short-sighted the ultimate advertisement that the incumbents shouldn’t be in government.
Ditto Luxon, Willis and Seymour.
Did the All Blacks play the Falkland Islanders? There is so much I don’t know about. But I find the Falkland Islands an interesting place – like us they are down at the bottom of the world – there are strong directional winds. Could we ever have a fossil fuel free connection? We might have to sail right around the edge of the antarctic to catch the winds though.
The budget will be designed to attract votes not to help those who are most in need.
Did you write vote budget22?
No Bob didn’t write that. But having now seen it, it’s a great budget for all those who want a new govt next! It’s so much all over the show, it shows Labour’s desperation. It’s full of quick fix attempts. This budget will be forgotten in two months and so will Labour. It’s the Patchwork Budget. This will not reverse the growing trend and Labour will get caned in 2023.
Luxons own budget reply says this budget is going backwards ie National needs a recession that this budget will not obliged. To much spending! Not my words, Luxons! Bahahahaha.
Seems I was correct.
All ideas must come to an end my friend. Capitalism, imperialism younger brother – America, could not possibly sustain privatization and deregulation indefinitely. From diet to farms, factories to data centres – the underclass slowly stand to rival those elites who promised the world and have nothing.
Good heavens.
Robo left his ‘Bazooka’ at home this morning and took a ‘Pea-Shooter’ with him to work today.
Typical response from a do nothing tory party. No policies or solutions given by the tories except cutting back on bureaucrats like police, nurses, teachers, etc so they will be following acts lunatic policies. No tory I heard today, including Willis is a capable finance spokesperson – all hopeless. I heard the lies from Luxon about NZ has the worst inflation rate in the world – we are the second best behind OZ with regards inflation. He also said unemployment is getting worse – we are the best in the world. When you’re in opposition, of no consequence and irrelevant then you can say anything. I heard two economists on the two TV stations refer to Seymore comments today as a liar. Even Hickey is embarrassed by the lies expressed by the tories and MSM. The problem is that weak minds will believe the misinformation but thats politics I suppose.
Im afraid the right wing tory times herald readers and tory talk ZB listeners on TDB only whinge and have no positive response to the omicron, oil, war and transport crisis’.
Well said Nikorima its one thing to nag about something but when one has no concrete solutions, better to zip the lip. I listened to Wills she is out of her depth at the moment she needs to get up to speed fast but then so does the chosen one (Luxon) he needs help or Jacinda will clean him up come election debate time and I can’t wait.
Hell for Leather | Television | NZ On Screen
https://www.nzonscreen.com › title › hell-for-leather-19…
This 70-minute documentary follows Brent-Edmondson as she attempts to get her business back on track, and avoid liquidation, under the guidance of a committee …
Time to remember… Someone who deserves a statue and Trust set up in her name as a true good Neww Zealander trying to overcome neoliberal complacency.
Larger-than-life entrepreneur Karroll Brent-Edmondson died in Auckland yesterday afternoon, aged 51, after a 14-month battle with cancer. 21 June 2006 I think was her date of death.
The award-winning businesswoman was behind the company KT Footwear, which hired long-term unemployed young Maori to make children’s shoes in South Auckland.
The former ward of the state – who learned how to read and write only after leaving school – set up the firm in 1991 after returning from Australia, where she ran restaurants and a soup kitchen for expatriate Maori.
She was honoured with membership of the New Zealand Order of Merit five years later.
But KT Footwear struck financial trouble in 1998 and Ms Brent-Edmondson was unable to keep it afloat, despite selling many of her assets, including her Tuakau home.
Several prominent business figures including The Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall and Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard pitched in to help her to try to save the company.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/beautiful-tall-poppy-dies/R5LY4J735DPC2U3D7YIJYAB5ZI/
and
New Zealand company designs sneakers made to eventually …
https://www.stuff.co.nz › business › prosper › new-zealan…
24/02/2022 — Co-founder Gillian Boucher launched the shoe six months ago. The company developed a bio-rubber sole made of natural rubber, rice husk ash and …
I was thinking about this first. Sounds promising.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2205/S00371/local-charity-kicks-off-new-zealands-first-sneaker-drive.htm
The event will be held atVodafone Events Centre on Saturday 11th June from 10am – 2pm and attendees can donate used or unused sneakers to the charity as well as buy, sell, and trade sneakers with other like-minded people. Entry is FREE and all ages are welcome so bring your friends and family down and enjoy an epic day out. Immerse yourself in the sneakerhead culture with a range of epic vendor stalls, local community icons and rare sneaker displays. The team from Cold Classics Barbershop NZ will be onsite giving out some fresh fades and we’ve got an exciting lineup of music, food and giveaways.
Founded in 2021 by Sneaker Clean NZ business owner Christian Prescott, Clean For A Cause was Christian’s way of giving back: “I’ve seen my South Auckland whānau and our communities struggle more than ever due to the impact of Covid-19.
“Sneaker culture is a massive part of today’s youth and is a popular way for youth to feel confident while expressing themselves creatively amongst their peers. Many of the youth in our community have never owned a pair of name-brand sneakers so this is a simple way we can give our local rangatahi pride and a sense of ownership.
“At Clean For A Cause we believe we all should have access to sturdy footwear, and understanding there are whānau who don’t have shoes drove us to find a way to fill that need”.
Nikorima puts the problem with our present democracy.
The problem is that weak minds will believe the misinformation but thats politics I suppose.
Im afraid the right wing tory times herald readers and tory talk ZB listeners on TDB only whinge and have no positive response to the omicron, oil, war and transport crisis’.
My initial solution to this is that from the people, self electing persons will choose to get a pressure cooker grounding in the information spectrum relating to the country, and then join together in a Real Think Tank that would be a lobby group that would be a force for government to reckon with. This woud counter the Maxim group and the outfit that has replaced the Business Roundtable. Government at present has set itself up as a bunch of amateurs who act as referees while the moneyed and influential people, Treasury and the Reserve Bank etc carve up the tenderloins for the best cuts for themselves. The people at present are outside looking in through the glass to the well-furnished conference rooms where decisions are made, and a certain distance is maintained from the hoi polloi.
Think of Homer and Apu going to meet the Great Guru who grants them answers to three questions and homer says stupidly three times, ‘Are you really the Guru’. In effect we are Homer, admit it! We are fed a line that we are important and considered but…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf3xwmXXDH8
Chris….our leaders took Jesus off the cross in 1984 and nailed up a dollar bill…..we were told we had a new symbol to worship…..mind you , with inflation it’s now a $100 dollar bill….