Oi aue
In Samoan love stories
We would turn into
Turtle and shark.
Nature tells us
One will consume the other.
Oi aue
In Samoan love stories
Sina’s prince is an eel
And happily ever after
Is when her beloved
Is beheaded
Transformed into a niu
So she can finally (safely) drink
His sweet sweet juice.
Oi aue
Men chase beautiful white women
Into woods
and are never seen again.
And one
blessed so that he could not lose in battle
was beguiled by beauty
into bed
and ambushed, betrayed, killed dead
a pale of lau maile
still around his head.
a pale of lau maile
still around his head.
They say the fires of A’ana
Burnt bright
Fuelled by fury
and revenge
and lit John William’s journey
into harbour.
Oi aue
Aue
Aue
Aue
For mine is a Samoan love story
And we all know
How they end.
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Author's Postscript
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Author's Postscript
What effect do our stories have on us?
The Samoan love stories I grew up with all contained dire warnings about investing too much of yourself in romantic love... after all that may distract one from the all consuming love for the aiga so
The Samoan love stories I grew up with all contained dire warnings about investing too much of yourself in romantic love... after all that may distract one from the all consuming love for the aiga so
important in our culture
Of course no race has an exclusive claim on charm (and of course I am biased), but I have always found my people charming- quick to laughter and to song, with an easy confidence and a fantastic sense of humour. Conversely, there is a cavalier attitude to relationships and to monogamy. Not for us the outrage and universal condemnation when someone steps out on what is supposed to be a committed relationship.
Of course no race has an exclusive claim on charm (and of course I am biased), but I have always found my people charming- quick to laughter and to song, with an easy confidence and a fantastic sense of humour. Conversely, there is a cavalier attitude to relationships and to monogamy. Not for us the outrage and universal condemnation when someone steps out on what is supposed to be a committed relationship.
This poem is a reflection and a lament
on Samoan love
