.
Passing Duke Kahanamoku
I saw tourists today
On Kalakaua Avenue
Passing Duke Kahanamoku statue
Three of them
Two skateboarding
The third running behind
Making sounds
Happy sounds
The sky was cloudy
The streets were empty
And the air
The air
Was full
Of rain
As a child walked
Shoeless and neglected
In
Ala Moana Park
Crying
As a woman
Slept on the beach in Waianae
Bruised
Battered
Cold
As an elderly gent
Bottle in hand
Strolled
The dark
Narrow alleyways of Chinatown
As flames shined
Windows cracked
Memories oozed
From a family
Whose home
Burned
Another hole
In their finances
Their finances
I saw tourists today
On Kalakaua Avenue
Passing...
© Paul Baidoa _ August 6, 2010
The "Passing Duke Kahanamoku" poem is dedicated to Hawaii non-profits who work tirelessly to build community and it speaks to tourists visiting Hawaii to look beyond the fantasy.