Photo overlooking a valley of hills, green foliage, houses and cars, with a blue sea and sky on the horizon.

‘a degree in home o’ sexual orientation’ by Ox Matiu

A banner featuring photos of clusters of yellow lemons on either side of black text that reads '#EnbyLife Journal. Tribute. enbylife.net'. The banner background is light brown and white striped, and a border with a brown scallopy design is on the left and right hand sides.

Screenshot of a poem with the following text, 'a degree in home o’ sexual orientation papers please as the harakeke folds peels off the wall like portraits warworn battalions of comm unity the flax is worn beneath my nails tint green like the eyes of my father tint brown like the eyes of my mother my nan tells me I need to stop biting them stop marking the red raw rubbing of the s kin highlighting who I am is a sin for us red rosy poppies yet a stickied green stamp drives the dirt apart wheel treading the lines of inners and outters sinners and doubters for the conflagration and it won’t be my garden that’s up in flames I’ll be at home. home in the rafters home in the sky home in the floorboards home in the earth home is paper written in the skin ink blinking'

Photo overlooking a valley of hills, green foliage, houses and cars, with a blue sea and sky on the horizon.

About the author

Ox Matiu is a takatāpui (Ngāpuhi) poet / researcher / archivist floating around Aotearoa, currently exploring art translation and its connection to identity formation and expression. Their emerging work can be found in a fine line, Blackmail Press, and Fast Fibres.

Photo by Ox Matiu.

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