Eternal Memory
Late Elder Mauta Kumara Taki
"He who gathers them at the Undistorted Light"
February 3, 1964 - January 10, 2025
Dear Mauta,
It's been a year since your last breath.
You are everywhere now,
and most often
as a humpback whale.
Here you are.
It's good to see you again.
Thank you for breaching on my birthday,
at The Gathering Place.
My favorite memory is riding side-saddle on your bike.
Everyone had a bike but me,
and you invited me to ride with you.
We looked absurd —
you, a gentle giant,
me, tiny yet mighty.
People were judging us at first,
then laughing with us
because our joy is contangious.
We laughed and laughed and laughed —
a moment I treasure.
A whale rider.
Oh, to be a child again.
Ma Ta Ko.
Wa Wa Nui.
~ CHE 10 January 2026
P.S. I've been listening to one of your favorite songs — Ali Campbell's version of Purple Rain.