Zin Uru / Ritual of Self – How to Name the Birds of Self 
I’ve been told
Light against Darkness, Earth against Stone, Rainbow against the Void or fire against ice, 

I’ve been told – 
everyone fits into one of four roles in life driven by 4 primal Urges
They’re either a Dove, A Peacock an Eagle or an Owl 



Yet, I find myself identifying as Magpie that tends to hang out with Kereru, Pukeko, and Kea– 
those woodpigeons that tend to defy gravity by hanging out on thin branches 
or those blue and red long legged swamp hens hanging out in cul de sacs,  
and those green parrot bastards try to bite you and steal anything shiny from your car. 
Love all of those guys 

I’ve been told
Light against Darkness, Earth against Stone, Rainbow against the Void or fire against ice, 


I’ve been shown -  
how we get boxed in by the Four Urges that drive us, that defines us, 
Urges that makes you put on masks when you get up in the morning
Sometimes when you put on these masks, you end up in flocks of people 
all wearing the same masks. 

A Dole of Doves invited me to a symposium at suburban dinner party in west Auckland 
It was full of perfectly plumed Little Doves, yet when they went out on a limb 
Sitting on a branch they turned into a loft of woodpigeons

A muster of peacocks came to a function in Blockhouse Bay 
With class in one hand and a jar of silver tongues in the other 
yet it was a gawky of head bobbing pukekos was seen leaving the place

A convocation of Eagles form as a soaring over a central Auckland apartment 
With a snake around their neck as a tie, all in collared shirts and pressed pants 
But deep in a man cave they turned into a circus of Kea singing Bella ciao (x2) Bella ciao ciao ciao 

A Parliament of Owls gather in the Night at an art exhibition in former Carrington Psych Hospital
in pods of Hooting Owls, drinking wine, eating crackers and cheese 
Later that night behind the building it as a mischief of magpies that could be found

The Four masks I thought I knew 
gone, 
replaced by Kereru, Pukeko, Kea and Magpie
With a drop of daemons blood in their beak and obscure tattoos under their feathers 
They pass through the underworld in their sleep, 
known to associate With witches, fools and fortune tellers 

I’ve been told 
that these variants of the Norm socialize by prancing and dancing around on black sand 
causing disruption, cackling maniacally about it 

I’ve been shown
 that One outlier alone is seen as bad luck, 
but together they can bring on a change that should not be missed 



I’ve been told
Light against Darkness, Earth against Stone, Rainbow against the Void or fire against ice, 

I’ve been shown
 the kind follower can be a motivated leader, the blind follower could be a great manager,
 the strong manager can be a broken leader, the strong leader could be a weak follower 

I’ve been told
Light against Darkness, Earth against Stone, Rainbow against the Void or fire against ice, 

I’ve been shown 
 Light, darkness, rainbow, void, earth, stone, fire, ice 
Working in harmony beyond the polar ideas of four roles 

I’ve seen  
Four Urges always caught in conflict, feathers flying & they call this a normal working day
All in a days work 

I’ve seen  
That Owl is a killer, Owl is a daemon that watches, 
As a Magpie he is singing tales of madness and evils at open mic nights 

I’ve been told
Don’t you forget to put on that mask ;
 What mask will I wear Today? What mask will you wear Tomorrow? 
But I left the four Urges on the coat-rack today 
and swapped them for some native birds

I’ve been shown 
How 4 urges turn into 4 new ones for each culture you embrace, 4 more for each sub-culture you become part of 
Growing exponentially as you let go of the idea of a reality that only exists on a x,y-axis chart
As part of a statistic of normality
I’ve been told 
About a world beyond the four Urges that you are meant to fit into 

I’ve been shown 
A world of change as a Magpie
 that prefers the company of Kereru, Pukeko, and Kea
I’ve been told
Light against Darkness, Earth against Stone, Rainbow against the Void or fire against ice, 

I’ve been shown 
 Light, darkness, rainbow, void, earth, stone, fire, ice 
Working in harmony beyond the polar ideas of four roles 





Christian Jensen is an installation and performance poet, originally from Norway and now based on Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. He believes that art, music and poetry can connect us to spiritual experiences and insights through ritual performance and participation. He is focused on working with immersive experiences and digital storytelling.
 He has been the creative director of poetry performance troupe the Literatti, co-creator of artist and poet exhibition Metonymy, founder of the NZ Guerilla poets and currently on the advisory panel for Poetry Live. His latest project is the immersive exhibition and storytelling inter-arts project Wayfinders.