First Thoughts: Friend, by Hone Tuwhare

Friend,
Do you remember
that wild stretch of land
with the lone tree guarding the point
from the sharp-tongued sea?

The boat we built out of branches
wrenched from the tree, is dead wood now.
The air that was thick with the whir of
toetoe spears succumbs at last to the
grey gull’s wheel.

Oyster-studded roots
of the mangrove yield none finer feast
of silver-bellied eels, and sea-snails
cooked in a rusty can.

Allow me
To mend the broken ends
of shared days:
but I wanted to say
that the tree we climbed
that gave food and drink
to youthful dreams, is no more.
Pursed to the lips her fine-edged
leaves made whistle—now stamp
no silken tracery on the cracked
clay floor.

Friend,
in this drear
dreamless time I clasp
your hand if only for reassurance
that all our jewelled fantasies were
real and wore splendid rags.

Perhaps the tree
will strike fresh roots again:
give soothing shade to a hurt and
troubled world.




- The first stanza is composed of one interrogative which connects the reader personally with the poem and the persona
- No rhyme scheme

Stanza 1
- Personification of 'sharp-tongued sea'
- Personification of the 'lone tree guarding the point'
- This use of personification illustrates the importance of nature in the personas memories with his friend
- Extended metaphor of the tree and its roots

Stanza 2:
- 3rd person pronoun 'we' gives the reader a connection with the persona
- The tone of the stanza has changed and contains more negative connotationbs such as 'dead wood' an 'thick' air


Stanza 5:
- The persona reflects that in bad times he reflects on his friendship which allows him to return to happy memories

Stanza 6:
- The persona comes to the conclusion that they hope to restore the friendship they reflect on in the first stanza
- The persona concludes that friendship is a very important part of life which gives people hope