TINA REGTIEN
wendy has an artist friend
who lived in golden bay –
in a tipi – he painted inside
on the walls then cut them up
exhibited and sold the lot –
he changed his name to
spontaneous – she pauses
worries away at a plate of rice
– combustion, she resumes – no
that wasn’t it, he was quite good,
quite a good artist ’n that, no
that wasn’t his last name . . .
ten minutes later her plate empty
she says, spontaneous and his last
name was search party – he was cool,
it was cool that he chose his own
name, it would have been different
you know, if his parents
had named him that –
