Be the Salt

From the cliffs of Ka'upulehu,
I look across the deep blue channel and
I see Haleakala rising in the midst.
The warm winds sweep around me
Making the coconut trees move,
Starting their napenape concert of clattering leaves.
I throw my orchid leis to my 'ohana
Across the way on Maui, ku'u one hanau.
I urge them to swim courageously to send our aloha
Past a rhymthm of waves...
Towards Maui and my kupuna.
I get my spoon out to dig brittle salt crystals
Like frozen snowflakes in the lava crevices.
I look for salt collecting pans
And sweep the salt-bitter pa'akai into my cup.
I collect the salt for my hiapo
Leaving our island to a temporary new home.
I dig the salt to remind her that this is her home
Mai poina...her loved ones here.
I urge her to be the salt-bitter pa'akai,
Clinging to the black lava of Moku o Keawe.
Our home.

Keauhou o Ka Wa Kahiko

Keauhou...the new era, the new current
The site of the meeting of the old ways, the ancient minds
Kaneloa, autumnal equinox marking the sunsets of the depositories of ancestral memories
Say your piece, share your wisdom, teach your skills.

The night is ready to greet you, the quiet, the velvety soft darkness, Wakea
Time is fleeting like the evening winds cascading down from Mauna Kea
While your eyes are black, you see your sun swallowed by the azure seas of Kona
Say your piece, share your wisdom, teach your skills.

Use your escaping ha to comfort your loved ones, your precious essence sacrificed
You yearn to reach upward to the worlds of Ho'ohokukalani
Yet you tend to those who still cling to Papahanaumoku, keeping you earthbound.
Say your piece, share your wisdom, teach your skills.

Absolute balance of day and night, consciousness and another timeless reality
Markers in your life determine your destiny, your kuleana to ho'omau, ho'ea
Mundane details try to keep you grounded, yet unheard pahu drums call you from beyond
Say your piece, share your wisdom, teach your skills.

Too young to be an elder, lower your eyes in deference
Look to the strident voices, the demands of the kupuna..e maka'ala
Listen as though your life depended on it, whispered words linger in the air
Say your piece, share your wisdom, teach your skills.

The sun steps from the cradle of Haleakala to the east
Cryptic messages carried in the folds of the wind, Apa'apa'a, resound in your ears
New life, ka inoa po, emerges from the sacrifice of the ancient ones.
Say your piece, share your wisdom, teach your skills.

Wahine Kahakai, Wahine Kuahiwi

I have always thought of myself...
He wahine kahakai
Born on the gently lapping waves of Lahaina's shores.
But my roots are from the slopes of Haleakala
Kipahulu, home of single named kupuna
Molokai became the meeting place of men from foreign lands
The sailor from Charleston, South Carolina
The merchant from Koong Tong, China
Planting seeds for a poi dog generation
Some not even worthy of carrying the family name.
I live in the mountains now,
The slopes of Mauna Loa.
From Kohala, I can look across the Alenuihaha Channel
I see the lands of my birth, ke one hanau.
My heart remains at the foot of the ocean
With my ancestors