ROBERT SULLIVAN - Poetry

Sep 28, 2026

Robert Sullivan’s poetry collection presents voices, family memory, and mythic landscapes through distinct sections and featured motifs. The contents move from “For Gods and Waka” and “For Shadows” to oceanic and kiwifruit-linked imaginings in “For the Ocean of Kiwai,” then into “For Fires,” where personal lyric turns toward place, ancestry, and spiritual cadence. Alongside poem titles and recurring images such as chant, waka, ocean passages, and home, the book includes dedication, publication credits, and a structured table of contents.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages76

Reading Time1 h 57 min

AccessFree to download

For Gods and Waka

Chant Waka

Tane retrieves the baskets of knowledge

Voice carried my family, their names and stories

For Shadows

3 ways of looking at a black birder

Resolving the shadows of home

For the Ocean of Kiwai

The Great Hall

Tupaia

Mai

Queen Charlotte Sound

For Fires

Boyle Abbey

Heart Wounds

ROBERTSULLIVANvoice carried my family ■ voice carried my family ALSO BY ROBERT SULLIVAN POETRY Captain Cook in the UnderworldStar WakaPiki ake!Jazz Waiata CO-EDITED Whetu Moana:Contenporary Polynesian Poems in Englisb,with Albert Wendt and Reina Whaitiri FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTSMaui:legends of the outcast,illustrated by Chris SlaneWeaving earzh and sky:myths and legends of Aotearoa,illustrated by Gavin Bishop # ROBERT SULLIVAN voice carried my family AUCKLANDUNIVERSITY PRESS I dedicate this book to Anne,Temuera and Eileen Some of these poems appeared in the following NZ publications:Landfall, Paribaka:the art of passive resistance(Wellington:Morrison Trust,2000), Best New Zealand Poens 2002(online);and in the USA:Ploughshares,Manoa,Tinfish First published 2005 Auckland University PressUniversity of AucklandPrivate Bag 92019AucklandNew Zealandwww.auckland.ac.nz/aup ◎ Robert Sullivan,200s 1SBNI86940337 Publication is assisted by4 响wUn u用 This book is copyright.Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study,research,criticism or review,as permitted under the Copyright Act,no part maybe reproduced by any process without prior permission of the publisher. Cover design:Christine Hansen Cover photograph:Paul Snow-Hansen Printed by Publishing Press,Auckland Contents I FOR GODS AND WAKAChant WakaBird WakaWakas4London Waka 2 3 6 Tane retrieves the baskets of knowlege8Gods and OystersIOVoice carried my family,their names and storiesIIA BiographyI2Te ao hurihuriI4South Point,Hawai'iI5II FOR SHADOWS I3 ways of looking at a blackbirderI8Omanaia2IResolving the shadows of home23III FOR THE OCEAN OF KIWAI The Great Hall262 Tupaia273 Mai284 Queen Charlotte Sound295 New Information306 Bubbling ground3I7 The Wide Shot328 A Resolution339 I/Eyes /Ae34Io The Northeast Passage Home35 II Ocean Birth36I2 Rapanui Easter Island38I3 I see red,I see red,I see red39I4 Pearl Harbor40I5 Captain Cook4II6 mind the gap42I7 it's all been done before,ehIV FOR FIRESSong 书 4647484950 Boyle AbbeyHeart WoundsTake KowhaiwhaiLove Poem52close to you53mother and child54stepping stones55the view from my office56purgatory 5758 Ahi Ka-The House of Nga Puhithe crackling page60Poems from Another Century,for Parihaka6rour country65 Notes I # For Gods and Waka Chant Waka Dive coral people shell necklaced lovers'nacreto pick up black pearlshold them in a word's breathwith lips underwater oh

FAQs

What is the main theme connecting the poems in this collection?

The collection connects family voice and memory with mythic and place-based imagery, moving through gods, waka, ocean spaces, and the shadows of home.

How is the book organized?

It is organized into numbered sections (I to IV) such as “For Gods and Waka,” “For Shadows,” “For the Ocean of Kiwai,” and “For Fires,” each containing multiple titled poems.

Does the book provide publication and rights information?

Yes. It includes dedication, acknowledgements of where some poems appeared, first publication date, publisher information, and copyright and reproduction terms under the Copyright Act.

Sep 28, 2026

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