— after Wisława Szymborska, Liz Breslin, and Iona Winter
— for Nicky Page

I prefer to walk beside the water
I prefer to be in the sea
I prefer the shimmer of last light
to the inertia of two o’clock
I prefer prickly dune tracks to roads
I prefer to be out in the storm
I prefer ancient manuka ridgelines
to river valleys, I prefer streams
though these take me through valleys
I prefer to go up, and need the balance of sea level
I prefer underground water to stay deep
if I must meet it, I prefer to meet it in the ocean
I prefer to thank my ancestors
and enter the layered waterfalls of forgiveness
I prefer to walk deliberately forward
I prefer a place to stand
and a place to lie down
I prefer compassion to blame
I prefer shoulders next to mine
I prefer a cloak of found feathers
to a rucksack of old stones
I prefer the possibilities of love