We Five Kings: Nā Kamehameha ʻElima

Aloha BR ʻohana and readers,

This is Hawaiian History Month. I often ask myself, what do I know about our monarchs? How did they shape our history? How do our history books shape them? This is my manaʻo.

We Five Kings: Nā Kamehameha ʻElima

ʻEkahi

The legend, the conqueror,

the naʻi aupuni,

filled our history books

with battles

lost and won.

Died an ʻelemakule,

he made rivers run —-

redder than his ʻahu ʻula,

with the blood

of kanaka.

He took all da ʻāina,

made it his

but one,

koe Kauaʻi.

Having accomplished

what no other Kamehameha would do.

The lāhui honored

his power and glory.

ʻElua

Ruled in the long shadow

of hānai mom.

Wanted to find his own way.

Make his own mark, if can.

Embarked on an ill-fated journey

to the ʻāina ʻē.

Auē!

The young royal couple return,

as kupapaʻu in the cargo hold.

The lāhui mourned.

ʻEkolu

The longest reigning aliʻi nui.

changes forever,

the definition,

of ʻāina.

“Now for Sale” on palapala.

Paipala people, alias Missionary Man,

began to feed,

voraciously,

on da new definition,

of ʻāina.

Missionary Man morphed

into Godzilla.

Devouring ʻāina,

He gained more and more

mana,

in this mōʻī¯ʻs government.

As Godzilla consumed

ʻāina, he manipulated

all the king’s men.

Weaving the lure of plenty kālā

and biblical proverbs.

The lure

of American kālā

and salvation

glistened

in da hot sun.

The lāhui died

in mass numbers.

ʻEhā

The fairytale aliʻi nui,

made it to the throne,

before older braddah.

His looks, charm, and eloquence,

helped set the stage,

for a promising noho aliʻi.

It brought hope to the lāhui.

A tragic twist,

took his keiki prince,

away, fo evah.

ʻEhā drowns himself

in jealousy and despair.

Godzilla continues to morph,

gorging,

on ʻonolicious ʻāina.

It’s now sweeter with

kō, sugah.

The lāhui mourned.

ʻElima

A solid, royal pōhaku

Auē! He lacked wise advice

and trustworthy braddahs.

The specter

of kālā

and salvation

lingered,

like the branches

of a broad

banyan tree.

He left this ʻāina,

well before his time.

Wish he had

one more chance.

The lāhui might agree.