Listen

Listen

We are Pakeha; Maori, Tongan, Samoan, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, a bit of everything, of European decent, from somewhere you have never heard of. Not sure we want to say, not sure where we come from, not sure what day it is.

We are employed; not employed, recently unemployed, unemployed for what seems like I can’t remember when, don’t want to be employed, not able to be employed, resent being asked that question.

We like listening to Bob Marley.

We are hip-hop ranters; disc spinners, local music fiends, in the Flying Nun way, record buying audiophiles, country ballad indulgent, Whammy Wine-Cellar regulars, listen - but don’t know what we listen to because it is on Spotify, don’t listen to much at all, annoy the f… out of people by playing music really loud on our cell-phones.

            We earn heaps bro; not enough, not nearly enough. Does anyone earn enough. Some people earn to much, bastards, enough to get by. We don’t earn. We are on the dole, sickness, ACC, the street, in the bush, don’t like to play a part in the capitalist machine, don’t have any money honey. Can you spare me some change?

            We have some problems; no problems, too many problems to mention, drinking problems, drug problems, fake weed problems, weed problems, at the moment a problem finding anywhere to score. We have no problems at all. We are sweet at least we think so, we might have some problems soon if your asking.

We broke up recently; marriage was over last year after 5,10,13 years, are in a serious relationship, sleeping around, sleeping where-ever we can, with who-ever we can, sleep with you if you pay.

We are waiting to find love, over that love stuff - it’s all a mix up of hormones on speed and you can’t trust emotions, or people, just want to be friends, not returning calls, no I am not going to give you my number.

            When we broke up, she/he got the friends. We never had any friends, used to have friends, before we/he/she got violent, remorseful, depressed, stole from them, lied to them or just didn’t want to depress them with truths they didn’t want to hear. We are lonely in a crowd, not lonely at all - at least that’s what we tell people, have never been so lonely in our lives. We have been in therapy, don’t need that stuff, can’t afford that stuff, don’t believe in that stuff.

All of us live on K’ Road.

All of us, no matter what, deserve the right to be listened to.

So next time you ask, ‘How are you?’

Try to give the time to actually listen.

There is no need for any one of us to be lonely. 

First published in Krd Chronicle .   August/ 2018