In Personal Memoriam

Ending Song by Whanganui poet Airini Beautrais may have been commissioned to be part of the national commemoration of the centennial of the Armistice, but for her, the work is personal.

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“The First World War was so tragic. It’s something that affects me deeply when I think about it and yet I’m drawn to writing about historic events like this as a way to work though those emotions.

“When I wrote this poem, I had in mind my two great-great-uncles, both teachers, who were killed in the war, and their mother, my great-great-grandmother. I tried to imagine her heartache. Then there was their younger brother, my great-grandfather, who was too young to fight, and their littlest sister, my great great-aunt, who I remember from my childhood. I thought of them, too, and I imagined them on Armistice Day and wondered how they made sense of it all. Families all over New Zealand have stories like these. With Ending Song, I tried to bring about a communal voice that represents the diversity of stories.”

The poem will form part of He Waw Waraki: Roaring Chorus 2018, a 20-minute performance piece that will feature in the service at Wellington’s Pukeahu National War Memorial Park on November 11.