Loko ʻIa

We were waist deep in a lo’i,

stamping it down and

planting taro cuttings.

A man wearing a straw hat

and malu supervised.

One of the elders had his

baby fastened to his back

with a green sash.

His baby’s toes were dipped

in chocolate-colored mud.

After lunch, we rolled boulders

across the makeshift bridge

and reinforced the barrier

between the pond

and Kaneohe Bay.

Some went into the water

and others formed a line

to the stockpile of rocks.

We carried those stones

with reverence, passing

them down

and placing them

where they were always

meant to go.