I felt for Mama Daisy, and thought of my own mother so afterwards I interviewed her and wrote my poem, which I performed at the end of my presentation.

Ladies from Bena gave me bilum as a thank you and we all became fast friends.

I see you

For Mama Daisy Meko Samuel

I see you mother with no husband
I see your born son
I see your grown son

I see you provider
I see you humble
I see you kiss goodbye

I see you in Berlin
I see you adopt a daughter
I see her a new sister

I see you destroyed
I see you rebuild
I see you guardian

I see you Bena
I see you Napamogona
I see you Mama Daisy

I see my late husband
I see me and us
You are my eyes

The next poem, Mary and the fe'e, is published in Fika: a fictional body of new writing by First Draft Pasefika Writers compiled by Danielle O'Halloran and Felolini Maria Ifopo. Ifopo is my maiden name and Felolini my first name before I took the chief name Faumuina.

Mary and the fe’e

Tentacles climbed
Over over 
over over
Over over 
over over
Mary. Mary 
who could 
not see
not hear
not feel 
& not fear

Come fe’e.
Come she
called him
like he
was a
pig pig
pig

I see 
one who
is old – 
old & grey,
grey & fragile.

He wants
to come
to us.

So fe’e
went off
to find
the old
man of
Siumu.

Old & grey,

he was
lying in 
a fale
embraced by 
his wife
who cried in
the dark

Slowly fe’e
crept under 
the old
man’s bed 
and when 
Sleep
took his 
wife

Fe’e embraced
the man
& left him
& left him
& left him
dead.