Young poet has (water) way with words
A young writer’s poem has been set in stone beside the very river from which she took inspiration.
The newest poem to grace the banks of one of Marlborough’s most popular riverside walks has been unveiled.
Poet Nesa Wardman, 11, from Renwick School has become the ninth writer to have her work displayed alongside the Taylor River.
It joins other creative accomplishments gracing the walkway, each a tribute to the talent of children in schools across Marlborough.
Marlborough Mayor John Leggett unveiled the poem, All is Bound, alongside The Taylor River Writers’ Walk.
Speaking to children gathered from Springlands and Renwick schools, he says the river plays an important role in a lot of lives.
‘‘Every night when I finish work, I go home and change and then come down to the river with my two dogs and walk a loop.
‘‘I really enjoy it here, it’s a quiet time for me and I like to look in the river and sometimes see trout and see that the quality of the water has been maintained and enhanced.
‘‘Over the years, thousands of people will read these poems and see how well done they are,’’ he says.
Nesa, who is part of the school’s writing group, says she came down to the river and sat for a while to think about what she wanted to include in her poem.
‘‘I was so, so excited when I heard my poem had been picked. I like to think that it will be here for a long time to come and that lots of people will read it,’’ she says.
It is the first poem from a Renwick School pupil to be chosen for the writers’ walk.
Renwick School principal Simon Heath says while it was the first to be picked, it was also a ‘‘great first’’.
‘‘It’s a great piece of work. I caught my first trout in this river with my father when I was about 8-years-old and it’s changed a lot. The children here today will be the stewards of the future,’’ he says.
The poem was inscribed by staff at Geoffrey T Sowman Funeral Directors who are long-term supporters of the project. All is Bound by Nesa Wardman Lingering at a towering Oak, Leaves descending as Autumn Woke.
Leafy giants scrape the sky, Establishing a haven for those who fly.
Tawhirimatea composes, the breezes blow, Urging the wooded giants to greet the awa flow.
Water’s ripple, safe and sound, Ora mohoao, kapua, whenua, All is bound.
Stone ruins, a scene of before, Create a delight for the future more ...