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.

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