Published in Overland Issue 219 Winter 2015 · Uncategorized Red tiki Ben Brown (New Years Day 2015 on the road between Arrowtown and Hokitika.) Bought a red tiki in a Wanaka souvenir shop for a mere six dollars eighty but red is my son’s colour even if he doesn’t know it yet. And the kitschy little atua will look outrageous hanging around his neck. The greeting card is for my daughter. It has a print on it, playful and surreal; a foundling’s dream beneath a sleeping moon. It cost nearly three times more than the tiki but the image suits her soul. I’ll mail it tomorrow from Hokitika in the envelope provided. A greeting card should be inscribed and arrive in the appropriate manner. My son will have to wait until I visit him. A red tiki must be delivered kanohi ki te kanohi. Ben Brown Ben Brown is an award-winning children’s author, poet, short story and nonfiction writer, though he has never quite been able to work out what the various distinctions are, so he refers to himself primarily as a writer. More by Ben Brown › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays 30 August 2024 · the arts The statements we make Kate Larsen As artists, cultural workers and arts organisations, ours is the business of statement-making. I was reminded of this recently by the work of Portuguese artist Tiago Casanova, whose installation Every wall is a Statement is currently part of the A liberdade e só a Liberdade exhibition (‘Freedom and only freedom’) at The Art and Culture […] 28 August 202428 August 2024 · literary culture What I learnt from reading Chinese youth agony literature Stephanie Qiu Youth agony literature swept across high schools in China from the mid-2000s to early 2010s. While boys played Dota, girls read romance. When my best friend got caught reading a popular book called Devil’s Kiss at recess, the head teacher confiscated it and called her parents in.