Haiku & History of Hale Koa and Green Flash

Hale Koa view

 

Landscaped lawn to pristine beach

 

Military sound

The Hale Koa celebrated its grand opening on October 25, 1975 with a traditional Hawaiian blessing and a royal procession. The hotel and grounds are open to all ranks of the US military for rest and relaxation.

Although not a member of the military, I have had several opportunities to visit this military hotel complex in Waikiki. My sister is a retired Air Force Reserves Colonel, and she enjoys her time there during frequent visits to Honolulu. Sisters in Crime/Hawaii, my writers' group, has also held holiday luncheons there, hosted by retired military/fellow writers.

Of all the photographs I have taken on the grounds of Hale Koa (Hale - House; Koa - Brave, Fearless; Hale Koa: armory, barracks), one I failed to snap was of the Green Flash I viewed at sunset one evening. I was at the hotel’s beach bar as the sun reached the horizon, touching the blue sheen of the Pacific. To my surprise, and great pleasure, a green flash appeared and, for an extended moment, lingered. This occurred in 1995, the only time I have ever witnessed the illusive Green Flash. 

While I prefer to think of witnessing the sight as a mystical experience, a scientific explanation for the cause of the Green Flash when the sun meets the ocean can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash

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WAITING AND WHISPERING Poem 70 of ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING 70 Poems for 70 Days

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING

70 Poems for 70 Days 

 is a collection of poetry I wrote as a birthday present to myself and gifted in book format to 70 of my friends and family members. Over a period of 70 Sundays, I am submitting the poems in the order of composition, along with a short comment about the poem’s style or theme,

often including a complementary photograph.

With linked poetry, a form of Japanese Renshi poetry,

the last lines of one poem are used to form the title of the next poem,

then the next poem shifts to a different topic.

I hope you find a few entries that bring a smile to your face or a long buried memory to the surface of your consciousness. Poetry is like that, whether you are the reader or the author.

 

 

 

 

70

Waiting

*

**

She

glanced

down at the water

again, whispering a prayer.

Maybe one day the brave little

girl would open the eyes of the world.

She would demonstrate how change, by way

of  acceptance rather than  argument  and discord,

would benefit

everyone. Was this

a goal worth waiting for,

as death stole the hearts and souls

of families while they knelt to offer pleas?

Sons and daughters breathed their last, as they

each believed they too had made life safer back home

She whispered

a second  prayer,

eager to believe, along

with those sons and daughters

of revolutions, there would be an end.

As she waited, tiny flowers drifted across her

field of vision. The yellow blossoms reminded her

anything

is possible

She smiled

The universe

smiled back

***

 

 

 

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AUTHOR’S NOTES

These seventy poems were penned, not to confront or analysis a life endured but to give thanks for and to better appreciate a life well-lived. 

Had we, all of us, not fully experienced every moment of past years as we did, then everything we encountered would have evolved differently. Our altered actions would not only have eliminated our tribulations but a vast amount of pleasure, blessings, and joy. 

If even one of these poems gave you reason to laugh or cry with tears of remembered joy, please feel free to contact me to share a nostalgic moment. 

 

 

Available for purchase in print at Amazon:

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING 70 Poems for 70 Days at Amazon