Motusa
Isthmus – eureka!
By Maniue Vilsoni (23rd July, 2007, Al Ain, United
Arab Emirates)
 |
Maka side of the Motusa isthmus
(216 metres wide from one low tide mark to the other
- across the school ground) |
Mohan Narottam's store
is there no more;
just a stump of a post
and a relic of a business ghost,
tattle-taling
the era of
buoyant trading
on Motusa isthmus.
Morris Hedstrom's door
is there no more;
just nutty memories
of that hole in the shop floor
where mister plum-putini 'n' bomb
would eye the skirts
through their secret peep-hole
'n' visually devour.
The company jetty on Maka side
is there no more;
a line of rocks
in the tranquil waters of the bay
are telltale signs
of a once busy quay
which saw 'xmas stock
of salted corned beef
rolled ashore
in wooden barrels
with fastened steel bands
labelled
"Made in Ki-wi!"
That ice-cream parlour
of an RCA store
is there no more;
once-upon a time a crispy cone
with an icy-creamy dome
was pure lip-sucking bliss
for the runny-nosed kid
sent on an errand
in the stifling noon-tide heat.
The clowns of old
are there no more;
that grand dame from Mofmoiro way
somersaulting
across the school ground
in sheer spontaneity
to whims 'n' whams
of free 'n' self-expression.
Impulsive ay?
but life on the isthmus
was super special
in every way!
the catch of unicorn fish would be shared,
a school of beached ro
would mean let's summon the kin,
reciprocity was supreme;
even beer could be booked
from the Barfly Inn.
These are sweet memories
of a past
that I re-live;
each milli-second I click
to the google earth map
'n' flick,
wow!
Mag-ni-fi-cent Motusa Isthmus,
eureka!
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Rotuma Isthmus from Google Earth |
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