Three Hawaiian Islands Pidgin Poems
LISTENING TO DA SEALS AT KANA KALUKA
Listening to da seals
at Kana Kaluka
is like experiencing wun foreign language.
I stay heah on da wharf
looking down at dem
while adah people around me
got dere fishing poles
and dey stay trying dere luck
foa go catch someting.
I stay fishing too
dough only in my mind.
While da seals bark into da air
communicating wit each adah
I stay tinking about da Pidgin
dat I going be reading
foa da symposium tomorrow
at da college.
Maybe foa some ears
I going sound like wun seal too
but I going chance ‘um
wit da vernacular
cause I know I can.
Get plenty guys like me
swimming in da watah
like seals
way out west in da Hawaiian Islands
and dey all stay quite comfortable
voicing dere opinions
in wun interesting kalakoa language.
Now I stay ovah heah
representing da island lingo
as I expand da radius
while casting exploratory lines
into wun big ocean
foa catch all different kine fish.
SURFAH OF DA LOLO KAI
He wuz da kine of guy
who wuz wide open and passionate
so generous and big hearted
in da mutual wordplay.
He wen take his friend to his secret place
to share his mana’o
and stories unfolded like perfect waves
dat he wen invite him foa go ride.
“Dere you go, brah!
Dis is wun unreal spot!
Check out da break
and go foa it!”
Da surfing of da mind wuz righteous
just like he said
and da friend dat he wen talk to
wuz so appreciative
dat he wen share dat wit him.
But den anadah acquaintance
wen say latah,
“You know
braddah wen show you dat place
so now you owe him
foa every wave you catch.”
Strange kine tinking
wit negative tendencies
wuz rewriting da original
and well-meaning intention.
It looks like in dis case
somebody like put
wun new price tag on aloha
attached to wun unnecessary IOU.
LI’ILI’I KINE DISTANCE
Mawaena o ka mana’o
is wheah da shadow fishes swim.
Look at all da fins
like knives through da watah
cutting through da unseen currents.
Dere’s wun narrow way
through da cerebral depths
as pure as reason
dat going make wun decision.
Kekahi mau i’a turn to da right
kekahi mau i’a turn to da left.
Kekahi mau i’a rise to da light
kekahi mau i’a dive to da dark.
Broke da eyes
broke da mouth
broke da unexpected
swimming all about.
Go foa broke, brah,
eidah way
everybody and everyting
going win or lose.
Maloko o ka moana nui
from da calm surface
to da stormy waves
li’ili’i kine distance
between na’aupo and na’auao.
aloha chance ‘um kai kalakoa Kana Kaluka kekahi mau i’a li’ili’i lolo maloko o ka moana nui mana’o mawaena o ka mana’o na’auao na’aupo Pidgin surfah | Kindness; good will. Take a chance on. Sea. Multicolored. Hawaiian name for Santa Cruz. Some fish. Small. Brain. Inside the big ocean. Thought, idea, meaning; mind. In the middle of the mind. Wisdom. Ignorance. Hawaii Creole English. Surfer. |
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