Money Beat Good Intentions

I went back to my hometown this past weekend. Being back in Lahaina is always a bitter sweet experience. To celebrate my mother's birthday, we walked out on the seawall by the Lahaina Harbor to say hello to our kupuna whose ashes are scattered out in the ocean outside of Lahaina. It was difficult for any private thoughts with the scores of students having surf lessons right in the waves right next to the sea wall. The ocean is still beautiful but like everything on Maui, crowded with people, malihinis galore.

In the 1960s, my cousin Humio Okimoto tried to work toward planned expansion of Lahaina through the Lahaina Historic Society. But in walking from Pioneer Inn along Front Street up to Lahainaluna Road and along Waine'e Street, I am sorry to say that his efforts were not successful. Tourist shops selling trinkets up to art galleries selling high priced painted filled most of the shops along our walk.

It is indeed sad to see that the local people have evaporated from the town. The things that made Lahaina charming are no more. Even the junky beaches are filled with cars as people try to swim between the shallow reefs. Planned growth could not win over the all mighty dollar. What a shame!!

Lahaina, Sands of my Birth

The sway of 'ohi'a trees outside my bedroom window
Reminds me of the waves at night
Pounding against the sea wall in Lahaina.
Blissful rhythm to lull one into the velvet folds of sleep.

The smell of the salt air mingles with the scent of plumeria
with its sharp citrus fragrance.
As the wind blows, the sweet smell of mango blossoms
A promise for sweet fruit, a sure sign of summer.

The sun beats down with warm embrace as freckles pop.
Bright skies, hot pavement for calloused bare feet.
Dust sits along the roadside waiting for a breeze
to liberate them skyward.

The ocean once so clear you could see Lanai underwater
Is now cluttered by too many feet trampling limu beds
The blue seas still invite the swimmer to seek relief
In the cool waters of the Pacific

Ku'u one hanau, auhea 'oe?
Ka 'aina 'opi'o
He wahi pana hou i keia la
'Aue, 'aue, 'aue

Kanaka Thinking - The Spoken Word

Ka hao o ka wai nui, piha 'a o kai 'Olelo No'eau #1299

When a great flood washes down, the shore is littered with stones and debris from the upland.

When one is careless in speech, trouble results.


Don't let your anger unleash boulders of anger and dissension that remain a burden on the hearts of others.

Language of the Eyes

I noticed Pualani's eyes
Sparkling black diamonds shining brilliantly
Her eyes shifted back and forth
Making contact with someone's heart in the audience
So it is with the language of the eyes
Our kupunas' eyes spoke dissertations.
A snap of the neck, a turn of the head
And the eyes were upon you.
Kulikuli ka waha...be silent.
Ho'oha'aha'a...humble yourself, drop your eyes
Cease and desist...i keia manawa ano...this moment
Stern reminders of behavioral expectations
Uttered in loud silence
In the language of the eyes.

A tllt of the head, a soft hand on the shoulder
Eyes that spoke of velvet capes of love
Love from the past, love in the present
Love to come forever
Wordless expression of love, aloha pau 'ole
Love without end
Encourage us to do the same with others
With a depth of emotion whispered
In the language of the eyes.

While our eyes are black, while we breathe the gift of air
Observe the language of the eyes
Perfect the language of the eyes
Communicate in the language of the eyes.
Too many words blur our meaning.
Eyes speak the truth

Kanaka Thinking - Plan ahead

E 'ai kekahi, e ka;i kekahi

Eat some, salt some

Said to young people: Eat some now and save some for another time.
'Olelo No'eau #252

In times of plenty, put aside something for times of need. While you are young, enjoy it and don't try to make yourself be/look older. Save your memories of youthful antics and your plans for pure exuberance for when you are really old. Then you can relive the zaniness in your mind. If you don't go out and do things, your old age memories will be in black and white instead of technicolor.

When you are eating something delicious, nibble the last three bites. If you overeat, the delicious thing becomes a bloated sensation in your belly and all thoughts of exquisite delight are lost in discomfort. Each person is given only so many bowls of rice for a lifetime. Savor the flavor.

Cherish your relationship with your kane or wahine. Enjoy the actual physical relationship in youth. Build a unity of mind and heart. These are things that will keep the love going when physicality is a memory of the past.

Ho'okupu: DVD

All women on the stage
Young, old, thin, and round.
Hair of black, gray, straight, curly
Covering minds of myriad memories
Thoughts of love and loss,
Small kid time,
The trivial and the esoteric,
Counting in groups of fours: forties, four hundred, four thousand.
Recalling the ancient pahu drums
Syncopated with the cell phone jig
They exposed just the tip of the iceberg
A ground swell of raw emotion
Waiting to be aired.
Hawaiian women all
Of various shapes and forms
From various backgrounds
and one hanau
The proud and the humble,
The bold and the shy
Speaking their words with repressed emotion.
Private thoughts for a public venue
Ho'okupu

Kanaka Thinking - Imperfection and Beauty

Pu'upu'u lei pali i ka 'a'i.

An imperfect lei, beautified by wearing

Even an imperfect lei looks beautiful when worn around the neck--as beautiful as flowers and greenery on the slope of a hill.

From 'Olelo Noe'au #2765

Hawaiians were able to find beauty in their environment. Flowers, stems, leaves, roots, fruit, seeds, gourds. They took things from nature and looked into the possibilities. Leis or garlands were fashioned in a myriad of styles using various materials. Dried leaves were cleaned, stripped, and woven into beautiful mats. The bark of trees were gathered, soaked, lovingly cleaned, stripped or pounded into fiber cloth or woven into strong cordage.

Amazing people, our kupuna.