I prefer darkness with light relief
I prefer stripes over dots
I prefer rich, saturated colour
I prefer weather that’s cooling for winter coats

I prefer cats
I prefer the way they hold their own
I prefer not having to entertain
I prefer taking some time to be alone

I prefer real lawn to fake
I prefer manual over automatic
I prefer swimming in the sea to lakes
I prefer a chiming clock to a squawking device

I prefer time over money
I prefer walking and dancing over scheduled exercise
I prefer taking it slow and aimless pottering
I prefer dawn and dusk to the middle of the day

I prefer flaws to having none
I prefer to keep trying to face up to mine
I prefer finding beauty in small things
I prefer acceptance, given and taken

I prefer poetry
I prefer someone else’s voice to my own
I prefer random good days to planned celebrations
I prefer distillation in conversation

I prefer this place I’m in
I prefer the name Aotearoa
I prefer crossing the blue expanse to come home
I prefer being on an island in the Pacific Ocean