I had forgotten how the harbour’s waters speak the mood of Wellington. Static, sparkling cerulean. Violent, murky brown. Capped in trembling froth like a vast flat-white with the wind just another stimulant to the city’s residents.
When you have been away from a city and return, it can feel like you are a stranger. Ethereal urban landmarks disappear to be replaced by glass and steel, twinkling laneways and rainbow tar seal. The foundations remain though. A city reclaimed from the ocean, built on creativity and public service.
I’m sure you can see my nostalgia runs deep. We did not part on the best of terms. I hope you understand I never meant to hurt you. I, of all people, understand when life’s pressures grow too much to bear, or even just too much to bare.
You stood in voiceless condemnation when I left, and I thought perhaps this time would be different. Perhaps this time I would stay away. But, the fissures of past pain draw me back every time. It wasn’t all bad, was it? Was there a time your trembling was not fear?
I used to think I changed you when I broke you. When my actions left you crumpled. I saw your scars and thought I had marked you as my own. I know different now. Your scars do not define you. Windswept waters still sparkle in the sun. Creativity and service shine even brighter in the wake of my destruction.
Your foundations go deep, but not into the earth.
All my love,
Kēkerengū Fault