Hawai‘i Literature & Art
— Since 1978 —
Her polished paw waves at a diminishing morning sun, slowing her solar-powered arm to arrhythmic ticking. Absent a circadian rhythm, her movement synchronizes solely with the passing arc of the sun— unaffected by the artificial lights of computer screens, fluorescent bulbs or LED lights, by colors of blue tones or red, amber or yellow. She…
Dark wood of indeterminate pedigree, it is unfinished but organically varnished by human handling. Eighty-odd years old, corners rounded, several of its convex beads nicked, it’s as sturdy as ever, still functional. White paint markings painstakingly deposited into carved grooves are intact. Its craftsman meant it to last, but we’ll never know its origin, just…
Unadorned and crammed looser than I want The rattle is loud, and the promise is less. I like the darker, denser ones But I’ve always been like that Lighter colored ones lack that certain sweetness That comes from long hours in the sun Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking With no rhyme or reason….
Hotei-sama looks like he’s covered in glossy chocolate ganache He found me at a silent auction My favorite of the seven gods Fat Buddha, Happy Buddha, Hotei-Sama, Budai These are all his names Laying on his side holding his sack of gold in his right hand Prayer beads in his left Head to toe with rolly-poly-ness: Bald atama Chubby cheeks and earlobes…
“You never kill the gecko.” “Can I just put it outside, then?” “No! Leave it alone. It takes care the cockroaches.” “But it will make doodoo and might lay eggs.” “That’s okay. I rather have gecko doodoo and eggs than cockroach doodoo and eggs.” Thus programmed in childhood, to her dismay she discovered not one,…
I was trailing after my dad through the supermarket. We were walking through the meats and seafood section. For a second time, I reached up and filched crushed ice from the displays of fish. Tilapia was the only fish I knew at the time. It was then I ran to catch up after my dad….
There it is again, out in the open, poking her eye, that tilly-pink box with the green leaves that doesn’t belong to her, white cursive font announcing its contents. A week ago, about to load the washer, she found him at the laundry tub, swishing three ball caps around in a bucket of soapy liquid….
Rocket Science You will remember her all the days of your life, perhaps think about her accidentally, hearing a similar voice, seeing a similar face, this song, that movie, this drink, that food. Or intentionally, on her birthday, at this restaurant, that bar, this park, that beach – you know exactly why you go there….
Hmmm, let try something new. How about this. Look around where you are right now and choose something to write about. Just don’t write about Christmas yet, okay? Hold back for now, just like the retailers do. That’s right. You get to choose your own topic. All entries must be between 100 words minimum and…