Sofia Coates, New Zealand's National Honour
October 2026
Three Brothers
Three Brothers
I would have it here
amongst the tortured curls of the saplings
on the bodily rise and fall of the tide
site of the exquisite ordeal
where marshy waters hide the steady ground
and the plants form figurines like clouds;
flower heads, mystics, tormented screams.
The first brother would wade on hands and knees
in a slow prehistoric reverie.
The second brother I would meet in the leafy conservatory
to exchange phials of serpentine blood.
The third brother would bathe
wallowing in the silt, awaiting ruination.
In the shiny testing grounds
where the canoes are dirty and tan
and monstrosities bray their confirmations of life
to the misshapen shadows of the mangroves
site of the exquisite ordeal
on the bodily rise and fall of the tide
among the tortured curl of the saplings
I would have it here
Score: 76.74 out of 100.
Read the October 2026 National Honours