The Jewel-Encrusted Diadem

Fo da boss, he says, “jes’ write”, e kākau wale hoʻi.

ʻEha Ke Poʻo

Ouuuch! ʻEha ke poʻo! My head hurts. Auē!

I feel trampling, all over my rugged kino,

my body.

I hear yelling, shouting, cussing.

Sounds of chanting send tremors through my ʻili.

A worn-out cycle of confusion and controversy .

One hui wants this, another hui wants that.

Voices, claiming “pono “,

continue to branch off,

and splinter,

like rapidly dying ʻohiʻa.

Some say they want to put another huge stone in my jewel-encrusted diadem.

Yeah, another one.

But they say, this one will shine even brighter

than the rest.

They promised.

It’ll shine so bright,

it can transport us into

the depths of the pō.

Revealing origins,

revealing explanations.

How about revealing solutions?

One brave koa named Bruddah George once said this about my sister,

“she’s not just a barren rock”.

“Me too ”.