(462)▪︎[ The Center … 5•7•2020 ]

[ You Are The Center Red Rose In My Bouquet ]
[ I’ve Been In Love With You Ever Since That One Day ]

[ I Woke Up That Morning Well Rested ]
[ I Didn’t Realize How I Was About To Be Tested ]

[ In My Defense ]
[ I Was Walking The Fence ]

[ There I Was Getting To Know You As A Friend ]
[ But When I Woke Up ]
[ I Wondered { WAS ALL OF THIS PRETEND? } ]

[ It Began When You Became The Only One I Could
Think Of ]
[ My Question Was { AM I IN LOVE? } ]

[ You Were My Friend & From Past Experience I Knew That
Never Worked Out ]
[ You Were My Friend, So This Is Something That I Needed To Really
Think About ]

[ Was This Just Happenstance ]
[ When There Must Be @ Least 50 Apartment Complexes
In Salem ]
[ & You Picked The One I Lived In, By Chance ]

[ Then We Walked ]
[ & We Talked ]

[ I Asked { ARE WE READING FROM THE SAME BOOK? } ]
[ { WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE THIS A LOOK? } ]

[ When You Said { SURE } ]
[ I Knew You Were Her ]

[ Ever Since That Night ]
[ You Have Been My Guiding Light ]

[ When You Said You Were In ]
[ I Chalked Up The Win ]

[ So Now After A Tad Bit More Than 8,950 Days & Nights ]
[ We Have Survived Some Dark Days ]
[ & Celebrated 100’s Of Times Under Some Very Bright Lights ]

[ Through The Darkest Of Times ]
[ You Were Always My Guilding Light ]
[ That’s How I’m Able To Write All Of These Rhymes ]

[ That One Day When I Asked You To Be My Wife ]
[ I Was Also Asking You, If I Could Be Your Husband ]
[ For The Rest Of Your Life ]

[ When It Comes To Marriage There Are Only A Few ]
[ Who Last Past Year 22 ]

[ But Here We Are Going On Year 25 ]
[ & Our Marriage Is Still Very Much Alive ]

[ We Take It Day By Day, Year By Year ]
[ We Walk Hand In Hand ]
[ When We Stare Down A Fear ]

[ We Have Lots Of Fun ]
[ Because We Both Signed Up ]
[ For The Long Run ]

[ That Is Just What We Do ]
[ There Is No Us ]
[ Without You, Too ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[ Mahalo iā ‘oe ]
[ A hui hou mākou ]
[ Aloha ] ‎
‎
[ Na ]
[ Lopaka DeVoe ]

(455)▪︎[ Sleep Is Way Overrated … 5•5•2020 ]

[ In The Morning Light ]
[ I Get Up ]
[ & Shake Off Another Sleepless Night ]

[ Now, How Many Is That In A Row? ]
[ 3 Or 4? ]
[ I Just Don’t Remember Or Know ]
[ It Seems That When I Look Down @ The Floor ]
[ Everything Is Moving So Slow ]

[ @ Night, It’s The Clock ]
[ It Seems Like Every 45 Minutes ]
[ I’d Feel The Need To Stand-Up & Take A Walk ]

[ Sometimes I’d See How Many Laps I Can Do In Our Small House ]
[ When I Look @ The Bed ]
[ I Envy My Sleeping Spouse ]

[ I Don’t Like To Think Where I’d Be In My Life ]
[ Right Now ]
[ Without My Son & Wife ]

[ I Actually Don’t Remember Or Yearn For A Day When I Was
Single & Alone ]
[ I Lived In Apartments ]
[ Not A Home ]

[ But Like The Saying Goes { HOME IS WHERE YOU HANG YOUR HAT } ]
[ I Can Really ]
[ Relate To That ]

[ I Think This Time I Did 4 Laps ]
[ Before I Stopped ]
[ I Opened The Door To My Room & Looked @ All Of My Hats ]

[ Then I Go & Stand By Our Bed & Climb Up On It ]
[ & Just Sit ]

[ When I Look @ My Pillow I Mumble { WHAT’s THE USE? } ]
[ Trying To Go To Sleep ]
[ Just Feels Like Abuse ]

[ Of My Mind ]
[ So I Will Be Kind ]
[ & Try To Remember & Rewind ]

[ About The Last Morning That I Woke Up Refreshed & Revitalized ]
[ I Couldn’t Remember ]
[ Or Realize ]

[ When ]
[ It Had Last Been ]

[ As I Age ]
[ I Think It Has Been @ Least Two Decades ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[ Mahalo iā ‘oe ]
[ A hui hou mākou ]
[ Aloha ] ‎
‎
[ Na ]
[ Lopaka DeVoe ]

(451)▪︎[ Mesmerizing … 5•3•2020 ]

[ The Beach Waves Have Such A Calming Sound ]
[ As The Waves Crash Onto The Ground ]

[ Then They Go Slowly Back Into The Sea ]
[ The Way They Move ]
[ Baffles Me ]

[ Is It The Pull Of The Moon ]
[ That Makes The Waves ]
[ Or The Heat Of The Sun @ Noon ]
[ That Makes The Water Concave ]

[ The Motion Of The Water Is Mesmerizing ]
[ The Sound Is Tranquilizing ]

[ I Can See How The Ocean Looks So Tame ]
[ But If You Turn Your Back ]
[ You Yourself Would Take The Blame ]

[ Sneaker Waves Are Properly Named As They Are ]
[ When A Wave Takes A Person By Surprise ]
[ It Can Drag Them Out Really Far ]

[ & Usually They Are Never To Be Seen Again ]
[ When A Wave Starts A Fight ]
[ It Usually Wins ]

[ Then The Mourning Period Starts ]
[ Because People Are Not Used To Being Apart ]

[ Yet ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[ Mahalo iā ‘oe ]
[ A hui hou mākou ]
[ Aloha ] ‎
‎
[ Na ]
[ Lopaka DeVoe ]

(440)▪︎[ Rise Up, Down Frown … 5•2•2020 ]

[ Do You Know What Starts Up But Eventually Goes Down? ]
[ It’s The Smile Of A Clown ]
[ When It Turns Into A Frown ]

[ Why Are Clowns Either Glad? ]
[ Or Sad? ]

[ There’s Not One Of Them In-Between ]
[ I’ve Even Seen Ones ]
[ Who Looked Angry & Mean ]
[ The One’s Who Are Not There For Fun ]
[ Sometimes Come Alive In My Dreams ]

[ Then I Find That The Screams Are Coming From Within
Me ]
[ It’s Because Of What Those Nightmares Make Me See ]

[ It Is Not A Fun Ride Inside My Head ]
[ But I Cannot Disengage From It ]
[ Before I Go To Bed ]

[ Sleepless Nights Have Become Commonplace ]
[ & It’s Starting To Show On My Face ]
[ Falling Asleep ]
[ Turns Into A Race ]

[ Before The Sunrise ]
[ I Need My Sleep ]
[ To Stay Witty & Wise ]

[ When I Do Get Up, My Eyelids Are Heavy ]
[ Sometimes I Put My Arm Out To Balance ]
[ & Keep Me Steady ]
[ Then It Is A Challenge ]
[ To Get To The Phone To Call Eddy ]

[ I Want Eddy To Come Over Quick ]
[ Being Around Him ]
[ Is Always A Kick ]
[ He’s The Opposite Of Nancy’s Son Jim ]
[ Because Jim Has Always Been A Dick ]

[ He Always Has Been Mean To Every One Of My Friends ]
[ When He Shows Up ]
[ The Fun Always Ends ]

[ Way Too Soon ]
[ He Sucks All Of The Air Out ]
[ Like A Deflating Balloon ]

[ Just Like A Sonic Boom ]
[ That’s How Fast The Air Leaves The Room ]
[ Forever To Be Sealed ]
[ In An Ancient Egyptian Tomb ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[ Mahalo iā ‘oe ]
[ A hui hou mākou ]
[ Aloha ] ‎
‎
[ Na ]
[ Lopaka DeVoe ]

(439)▪︎[ It Reminds Me … 5•1•2020 ]

[ Somedays Things Around Me ]
[ Remind Me Of The Day I Took My Vows ]
[ I Didn’t Know How Wonderful This Would Turn Out To Be ]

[ Saying My Vows Did Not Get Me A { HOW TO } Booklet As A Prize ]
[ Everything That Happened ]
[ Came As A Big Surprise ]

[ On Page One ]
[ The Topic Is ]
[ { HOW TO GET THINGS DONE? } ]

[ What If I Did THIS Instead Of Doing THAT? ]
[ How Will I Know ]
[ Where She Likes To Put The Used Bathmat? ]

[ Does She Hang All Of Her Clothes ]
[ Or Does She Fold Them ]
[ Only She Knows ]

[ But I Eventually Found After That First Time ]
[ & I Found Out That She Likes A Single Lemon ]
[ Better Than She Like Limes ]

[ Now I’ve Even Learned To Do THAT Instead Of Doing THIS ]
[ What I’ve Learned Through The Years ]
[ Is That There’s No Such Thing As { MARITAL BLISS } ]

[ Every Couple Has There Ups & Downs ]
[ But Does Every Husband Do Stupid Things ]
[ That Make Them Like A Clown? ]

[ I Don’t Think That I’ve Screwed Up That Bad ]
[ I’d Like To Think That I’ve Given Her More Glad ]
[ Days ]
[ Than Ones That Left Her Sad ]

[ We Are Not In Wonderland Looking For Perfection ]
[ We Just Need To Stop The Talk ]
[ That Sounds Like A Correction ]
[ & Have Much More Talks That Make A Connection ]

[ Much Less Correct ]
[ & Much More Connect ]

[ I Put My Wife Way Way Up Above ]
[ & First ]
[ I Want To Fill Her Up With Love ]
[ So It Quenches Her Thirst ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[ Mahalo iā ‘oe ]
[ A hui hou mākou ]
[ Aloha ] ‎
‎
[ Na ]
[ Lopaka DeVoe ]

(446)▪︎[ Just Show Them … 5•27•2021 ]

[ Sometimes It Is So Hard To Feel Capable, When Others
     Keep Saying That You Are Not ]
[ In The Bigger Picture ]
[ That Makes You Feel That You Are Seen As Just A Dot ]

[ Non-Existent ]
[ Insufficient ]

[ Does Not Measure Up ]
[ Doesn’t Make The Cut ]

[ You Have Heard Them All ]
[ Because You Try & Fall ]

[ But, You Get Back-Up Everytime ]
[ You Show That You Are Pretty Good @ Saving Dimes ]

[ How Do You Ever Know That You Have Finally Become
     Successful ]
[ When Others Sound & Are, So Hurtful ]

[ Sometimes The Words ]
[ Said To You, Are The Worst You Have Ever Heard ]

[ ( YOU ARE WORTHLESS ) ]
[ ( YOU’ll NEVER MAKE IT, YOU SHOULD JUST GIVE UP, NO
     TALENT ) ]
[ ( YOU ARE TOO SHORT, YOU’re USELESS ) ]

[ You Have Heard Those Comments Over & Over Again
     Multiplied By Four ]
[ Each & Everytime It Rocks You ]
[ To Your Core ]
[ What Are The Words Meant For? ]

[ If Not To Cut You In Half? ]
[ Something To Give Them & Their Friends A Laugh ]

[ Nothing Shuts Up Critics Faster Than Being Successful ]
[ But, Not Becoming Boastful ]

[ Becoming Successful Through Alot Of Hard Work ]
[ Let Them Be Who They Are … A Bunch Of Jerks ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[ Mahalo iā ‘oe ]
[ A hui hou mākou ]
[ Aloha ] ‎
‎
[ Na ]
[ Lopaka DeVoe ]

(455)▪︎[ My Respectful Son … 5•30•2021 ]

[ He Walked Right By ]
[ Without Saying A Simple ( HI ) ]

[ Have We Really Grown That Far Apart? ]
[ Should Being Ignored, Hurt My Heart? ]

[ The Father-Son Bond Was Broken Years Ago ]
[ He Told Me That He Didn’t Respect Me As His
     Father @ 10 Years Old ]
[ As For The Broken Heart Question, That Would Be A ( NO! ) ]

[ There Was No ( ANYMORE )( TODAY ) Said ]
[ But Ever Since Then … ]

[ I Have & Get So Much Disrespect From Him ]
[ The Respect & Love I Get, Is Paper Slim ]

[ He Does Not, Just Not Respect Me ]
[ He Does Things To Disrepect Me, For All To See ]

[ He Doesn’t Care Of The Place Or In Front Of Whom ]
[ He Really Liked It, Anytime I Sent Him To His Room ]

[ He Would Go In There & We Wouldn’t Hear A Peep ]
[ Whenever I Checked On Him, He Was Asleep ]

[ He Doesn’t Play With Much ]
[ So I Could Not Take Away, Such ‘n Such ]

[ He Has Had No Incentive To Job Hunt ]
[ Sometimes I Have Just Wanted To Step Back & Punt ]

[ I Threatened Him With Military Enlistment ]
[ I Didn’t Get A Single Smart-Ass Comment ]
[ For That, I Gave Him A Compliment ]

[ Maybe I Found, His Kriptonite ]
[ Because When I Said The Word ( MILITARY ) ]
[ There Was Not A Single Sign Of Disrespect In Sight ]

[ He Has Had The Easiest Of Anybody’s Childhood ]
[ After 25 Years The Mom & Dad Connection Is Still Really
     Good ]

[ He Has A Father That Has Stayed ]
[ He Has A Father That Always Asked If He Could Join Him
     Whenever He Played ]

[ I Had Heard Enough ]
[ & Stopped Asking ]
[ After So Many Years Of Being Rebuffed ]

[ He Wanted To Watch Movies With Me ]
[ One Time ]
[ Then When Asked ]
[ He Just Wanted To Watch The T.V. ]
[ He Said It Did Not Matter If I Was There Or Not ]

[ He Was Never Touched In Anger ]
[ He Was Never Hit By A Belt Or A Hangar ]

[ I Do Believe The Quest To Raise A Respectful Adult Son,
     Was Foiled ]
[ Because He Was & Is, Oh So Spoiled ]

[ He Has Never Been In A Situation When Things Were Hard
     To Come By ]
[ He Has Never Been In A Situation When It Was Hard To Get By ]

[ He Has Never Been Made To Get Through Things On
     His Own ]
[ He Has Never Picked Up A Phone ]
[ When There Was No Dial Tone ]

[ Because The Phone Bill Had Not Been Paid ]
[ Because There Was Not Enough Wages, Made ]

[ His Cupboards Have Never Been Bare ]
[ He Has Never Looked In The Kitchen ]
[ & Opened The Refrigerator To Not Find Any Food In There ]

[ He Does Not Do What He Is Asked To Do ]
[ I Guess To Him I Ghost Speak ]
[ & All He Hears Is ( BOO ) ]

[ So Him Not Acknowledging Me Does Not Pull On My Heart-
     Strings ]
[ Ignoring Me Is Very Minor ]
[ If Someone Wanted To Compare It To Other Things ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[ Mahalo iā ‘oe ]
[ A hui hou mākou ]
[ Aloha ] ‎
‎
[ Na ]
[ Lopaka DeVoe ]

(518)▪︎[ What Goes Around … 5•28•2020 ]

[ My Best Friend & Wife Are What Makes My World Go Around ]
[ They Are Who I Turn To ]
[ Especially When I Need A Pick Me Up Off Of The Ground ]

[ Each One Of These Women Love Me In Completely Different
Ways ]
[ & They Have Loved Me For ]
[ Many Many Years, Months & Days ]

[ Nicole Is My Wife ]
[ & Maria Is My Closest Friend ]
[ I Want Each One Of Them In My Life ]
[ Until The Very End ]

[ Nicole Has Been Here For Over 26 Years & Counting ]
[ Maria Came Into My Life Late ]
[ But The Days Are Mounting ]

[ It Is Not A Reach ]
[ To Say That ]
[ I Want Alot More Memories With Each ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[ Mahalo iā ‘oe ]
[ A hui hou mākou ]
[ Aloha ] ‎
‎
[ Na ]
[ Lopaka DeVoe ]

(517)▪︎[ What Are Dreams Made Of? … 5•27•2020 ]

[ If You Could Dream, Any Dream, What Would You Dream? ]
[ Would It Be Endless Trucks In Your Neighborhood ]
[ Filled With Your Favorite Ice Cream? ]

[ Chocolate, Vanilla, Orange Sherbet Or A Combination Swirl? ]
[ Covered With Hot Fudge ]
[ & The Tip Ends With A Curl? ]

[ My Dream Has So Many Moving Parts ]
[ It Would Never End ]
[ But I Really Don’t Know Where It Starts ]

[ The First Part Would Involve My Friend Maria, My Son, Some
Relatives Of My Wife & Nicole Of Course ]
[ Those Three Names ]
[ Are My Life Source ]
[ & I Feel No Shame ]
[ In Saying That Is Quite The Force ]

[ I’d Wish Eternal Happiness To My Best Friend ]
[ I Would Hope For Marital Bliss For Her To The Very End ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[ Mahalo iā ‘oe ]
[ A hui hou mākou ]
[ Aloha ] ‎
‎
[ Na ]
[ Lopaka DeVoe ]

(514)▪︎[ All Shapes & Sizes … 5•27•2020 ]

[ People Come In All Sizes & Shapes ]
[ Some Look Like Pears & Oranges ]
[ Some Look Like Grapes ]

[ The Same Goes With How Some Can Come & Affect
Your Life ]
[ Now I’m Not Talking About The Love From My Wife ]

[ I’m Talking About When Some Come In With A
Simple ( HI ) ]
[ For Some You Just Know That You Want To Get To Know
Them ]
[ It’s Just That You Don’t Quite Know Why ]

[ Is It The Way That They Look @ You? ]
[ Is It That They Seem Honest ]
[ Through & Through? ]
[ You Try To Find The Write Comment ]
[ That Answers The Question Of ( WHAT DO THEY DO? ) ]

[ You Just Can’t Put Your Finger On ( IT ) ]
[ & It’s Giving You Fits ]

[ It’s The Look In Their Eyes ]
[ That Make Them Seem So Wise ]
[ It’s The Look ]
[ That Tells You They Don’t Think That You Are Not Just
One Of Those Ordinary Guys ]
[ That Will Feed Them ]
[ Nothing But Lyes ]

[ They See & Give You An Honest Look ]
[ That Was Gained Through Living Life ]
[ Not From Reading & Learning It From A Book ]

[ A Look That Asks You If You Want To Take The Chance ]
[ To Do The Friendship Dance ]

[ & The Name ]
[ Of The Game ]
[ Will Not Be Centered Around Shame & Blame ]

[ Shame & Blame Are Two Badges That No One Needs To
Wear ]
[ While They Are Here ]
[ & If They Care ]

[ Care To Share Are Big Parts ]
[ Of Breaking Down The Walls ]
[To Get Close To Someone’s Heart ]

[ & Gaining Trust ]
[ Is A Must ]
[ Or The Friendship Could Be A Bust ]

[ It Should Never Be Pushed Or Thrust On Another ]
[ Or You May Feel Untrust ]
[ Of The Other ]

[ Good Friendship Is Definitely An Added Plus ]
[ When Two Separate Strangers ]
[ Become An Us ]

[ When You See That Person That Causes A Spark ]
[ Get The Answers You Need ]
[ To Get Rid Of That Question Mark ]

[ But Sometimes Not All ]
[ Gets Their Picture On Your Wall ]

[ That’s When You Walk Away ]
[ Holding Your Head High ]
[ Thinking That There Was No Way ]
[ That Was Going To Work Out That Day ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[ Mahalo iā ‘oe ]
[ A hui hou mākou ]
[ Aloha ] ‎
‎
[ Na ]
[ Lopaka DeVoe ]