Hawai‘i Literature & Art
— Since 1978 —
How was that exhilaration when bombs and bullets tore up flesh and bone? When the blood and brains of fellow soldiers ripped lightning through the stinking air? When battle-bent and heated weapons finally cooled to rest so you could nod in mud until the next assault shook you in that frozen foxhole nightmare world of…
Did you went eat yet? Great! Let’s go out on one date together. My perfect date? That’s easy, plate lunch and watching waves. Waves at Ala Moana are beautiful, or coming home to Kāneʻohe from Kuliʻouʻou along the mountainside near the coast. That stretch out at Sandys is absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful blue with a wash…
Happy April to all of you, I hope your writing goes as well as it does for Lilinoe Stupplebeen, Codfishcamp, and Maliakw. You three are the March winners of 10 Bamboo Bucks. Now you have to figure out who gets the 3.37 Bucks. Nah, just April-fooling you. You each get 10 whole Bucks to spend…
“White man” says a boy in the room. I am not a white man. “Hah, you are white” agrees a girl. I am not a white man. I say to myself once more, but no one else can hear me. It’s enough that I know what I am. If I…
Usually, I’m in Madison right now, so it’s appropriate I should dream of you, and you know how those dreams always shake me awake. I say, “You know,” as if you somehow did, seeing as I’ve never had a chance to tell you so. You’re still dressed in the white blouse and brown, pleated slacks,…
Tia Rosa warned me not to marry her son, but when my stomach swelled with something far greater than the weight of the sweet bread she forced upon me, I was not left with much of a choice. Anthony had grown more mild with age, his eyes and tongue and fists softening with the gradual…
His eyes were open, glazed and staring, as if his last breath had fogged up his corneas on the way out. I stood there, dumbly, hand on the car door, just looking in at him, like if I looked long enough he might blink back to life. Something dark seeped from his hairline like smoke,…
February winnahs! Congratulations to JD, Lilinoe Stupplebeen, and Kimurayoshihiro9. You’ve won $10 Bamboo Bucks for your February entries. You can spend those bucks in the Bamboo Ridge Press online store. Send a message to [email protected] and you’ll receive a code you can use when you check out of the BRP online store. * * *…
The screen message was “No Bluetooth Device Detected.” Jim patted the pants pocket where he kept his phone. Nothing. He grabbed the wheel with his right hand and patted the left pocket. No phone. “What the hell,” he cursed, wondering if he should drive back home to get it. Nowadays, without his phone, he felt…
Manhattan Mahjong Chinese neighbor ladies in silk pajamas invite moms and aunties to an aged card table on Mulberry Street. Summer air pungent with subway steam, stir-fry, and sausages. Cups of oolong tea and demi-tasse lose their balance. CLICK! CLICK! TAP! TAP! Fingers that built a nation in kitchens, laundries, and sweat shops…