(809)▪︎[ One Great Idea … 9•24•2021 ]

[ You Woke Up One Morning With One Of The Best Ideas
     You Have Ever Had ]
[ You Finally Came Up With A Way Of Separating Yourself
     From Your Dear Old Dad! ]

[ Your Idea Was To Drop His Last Name ]
[ So It Will Forever Be Changed ]
[ & It Will Never Be The Same ]

[ Because It Was Years Ago When Dear Old Don ]
[ Thought That He Heard Something That Was Never Said ]
[ & His Relationship With You As His Son Was Gone ]

[ Changing Your Last Name Would Feel Like Taking An Anchor Off
     Of Your Neck ]
[ Then He Would Only Be A Tiny Speck ]

[ In Your World Then ]
[ You Wouldn’t Even Do A (REMEMBER WHEN?) ]

[ Then You Had To Figure Out What You Wanted To Change
     It To ]
[ This Was Something That You Never Thought You Could Do ]

[ You Found Out A Piece Of Information From Barbara That
     Made Your Younger Years Make Sense ]
[ Don Never Wanted To Raise A Boy ]
[ On His Side Of The Fence ]

[ You Were Told That You Were A Last Minute Throw In ]
[ Something That He Would Never Do Again ]

[ You Were Told That Barbara Had To Talk Him Into It ]
[ He Never Wanted To Raise A Little Shit ]

[ So He Was Ice Cold ]
[ Ever Since You Were Not Very Old ]

[ He Was Vacant & Distant ]
[ He Had No Patience ]
[ & Was Very Insistent ]

[ Having The Ability To Change Your Name Was Like Being
     Given The Handcuff Key ]
[ That Ultimately ]
[ Would Set You Free ]

[ So The Last Name (DEVOE) Was The Maiden Name Of Your
     Wife ]
[ When You Got Permission From Her Parents & Other
     Siblings ]
[ It Changed Your Life ]

[ Now When You Hear Your Last Name, You Stand & Be Proud ]
[ Whenever You Used To Hear Your Old Last Name You
     Would Say (HEY, PLEASE DON’t SAY THAT VERY LOUD) ]

[ You Have Always Wished That You Had The Knowledge To
     Do That Years Ago ]
[ Oh! ]
[ If Only You Had The Know ]

[ It Would Have Saved You From Always Being Dragged So Down ]
[ Whenever You Heard Your Last Name Made Fun Of ]
[ It Made You Feel Like A Clown ]
[ & @ Times, You Hated The Sound ]

[ That Was A Hard Name To Grow Up With ]
[ The People Who Did Not Know You Said It Sounded Like (BITCH) ]

[ Whenever Someone Called You Just By Your Last Name It
     Made You Cringe ]
[ If They Kept Doing It ]
[ It Made You Become Unhinged ]

[ That Was Not Some Of Your Best Behavior ]
[ It Was Like Eating Something That Had A Bitter Flavor ]

[ It Would Just Leave A Bad Taste In Your Mouth ]
[ Not The Actions That Made You Proud ]

[ Changing Your Last Name Was Better Than Sliced Bread ]
[ Your New, Permanent Last Name Does Not Mess With
      Your Head ]

[ It Removed Any & All Connections With The Man Who Held
     The Most Ridiculous Lifelong Grudge ]
[ He Should Have Held A Mirror In Front Of His Face Before
     He Judged ]
[ Even On His Death Bed His Anger Would Not Budge ]

[ You Got The Last Laugh Before He Took One Hellish
     Ride ]
[ His Last Name Ceased To Exist, Once He Died! ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[  Mahalo E Ka hoa  ]
[  A hui hou  ]
[ Aloha  ]

[  Na  ]
[  Lopaka DeVoe  ]

||•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•||


(804)▪︎[ Your Drunk Dog … 9•23•2021 ]

[ Wednesday, September 22nd Was The Night That Your
     Dog Got Drunk ]
[ & Picked A Fight With An Annoying Skunk ]

[ You Had No Idea What Your Dog Was Thinking ]
[ You Found An Empty Bottle Of Mad Dog 20/20 By The
     Back Door ]
[ So You Actually Found Out What She Had Been Drinking ]

[ If She Was Drinking, It Definitely Wasn’t A Fair Fight ]
[ Don’t Skunks Have Better Sight ]
[ @ Night? ]

[ Not Fair, Not Fair ]
[ Was Your Dog Too Drunk To Care? ]
[ You Feel Extremely Bad That You Were Not Out There ]

[ While You Were Inside Writing Stories To Put On Your Blog ]
[ You Should Have Helped Your Drunk Dog ]

[ You Had Never Seen A Tipsy Dog, Until Now ]
[ You Understand The Why ]
[ You Just Do Not Understand The How ]

[ You Never Thought That We Kept Any Alcohol In Our House ]
[ Maybe You Should Take A Minute To Ask Your Spouse ]

[ Your Dog Really Came Out The Loser ]
[ You Wonder How Long That Your Sweet Innocent Freckles ]
[ Had Been A Boozer? ]

[ Do They Have An A.A. Treatment Program For Alcoholic
     Pets? ]
[ Would It Have To Be Facilitated By Trained Vets? ]
[ Any Bets? ]

[ You Dog Has Been A Loaner ]
[ You Hope That She Doesn’t Learn How To Get High ]
[ & Become A Yippee Stoner ]

[ But How Do You Deal With A Drunken Canine? ]
[ You Think That She Will Have A Real Problem ]
[ If She Started To Whine ]
[ All Night For Some Red Wine ]

[ The Situation Will Start To Get Harder ]
[ If She Will Always Demand Alcohol ]
[ Instead Of A Bowl Of Ice Cold Water ]

[ You Feel Kind Of Ashamed How She Is Turning Out ]
[ When You Keep The Booze Away From Her, She Sits & Pouts ]

[ If Anyone Out There Has Any Tips ]
[ My Dog Will Give You A Few Yips ]

[ You Hope The Skunk Stays Satisfied & Takes A Victory Lap ]
[ You Hope The Celebration Won’t Be Too Loud ]
[ So As Not To Disturb Your Dogs (10) Naps ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[  Mahalo E Ka hoa  ]
[  A hui hou  ]
[ Aloha  ]

[  Na  ]
[  Lopaka DeVoe  ]

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(802)▪︎[ A Loss Is A Loss … 9•22•2021 ]

[ A Man Doesn’t Know Loss, Until He Has Lost Somebody He
     Loved ]
[ A Loss Is Not Losing His Left Glove ]

[ A Loss When Someone Went To Sleep Deeper ]
[ Than Ever Before ]
[ Because He Got A Knock On The Door By The Grim Reaper ]

[ No More Calls, No More Text ]
[ He Will No Longer Be Around To Find Out What Happens Next ]

[ Who Are You Going To Call … Now? ]
[ He Was There Yesterday ]
[ But Then, WOW! ]

[ He Was Gone ]
[ He Moved On ]

[ Nobody Even Had A Hunch ]
[ That Yesterday He Was Getting His Ticket Punched ]

[ (BUT HE ONLY HAD A COUGH!) ]
[ Now, You Get The Hard Part ]
[ Because You Are Still Alive & Have To Deal With The Loss! ]

[ You Are Still Alive! ]
[ But Are You Stuck In Park? ]
[ Or Running In Drive ]

[ You Will Never Get Over Your Loss, Ever ]
[ The Person Is Gone, Forever ]

[ You Will Learn To Live With Him Being Part Of Your Memories ]
[ Part Of Several Stories ]

[ He Would Not Want You To Sink Into Despair ]
[ & Go Beyond Repair ]

[ Hitting The Bottle More Than The Times You Hit The Gym? ]
[ Can They Get You Back? ]
[ Your Family & Friends Both Say (THE CHANCES ARE SLIM) ]

[ Sometimes A Death Breaks Up A Marriage Or A Family ]
[ The Odds Show That Could Happen ]
[ Is That Your Destiny? ]

[ Then Drugs & Alcohol Come In To The Picture ]
[ Yes, You Should Be Sure ]
[ It Is A Band-Aid For The Hurt ]
[ Not The Cure ]

[ There Is NOT One ]
[ What Is Done Is Done! ]

[ Lean On Those That You Trust ]
[ That Is A Must ]

[ Pain Doesn’t Go Away, But It Can Fade ]
[ This Journey Back Is Not Easy ]
[ It Sure Makes You Look Within, To See How You Are Made ]

[ Time Doesn’t Heal All Wounds ]
[ Unless You Decide To Live In A Cocoon ]

[ That Is Impossible ]
[ Make A Better Life Where Anything Is Possible ]

[ Be Happy With The Memories ]
[ & Don’t Take Everything So Seriously ]

[ Live, Laugh & @ Times Let Yourself Cry ]
[ Sometimes There Is Not An Answer For Every (WHY?) ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[  Mahalo E Ka hoa  ]
[  A hui hou  ]
[ Aloha  ]

[  Na  ]
[  Lopaka DeVoe  ]

||•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•||

(005)▪︎[ What’s Possible … 1•2•2020 ]

[ @ Times You See What’s Possible ]
[ Instead Of What’s Already Here ]
[ When Things Look Attainable ]
[ You Look For Ways To Make The Vision Clear ]

[ Some People Make Things Happen ]
[ Others Look To Dampen ]

[ The Bright Days Of Their Peers ]
[ & They’ve Been Doing That For Years ]

[ They Just Want To Rain On People’s Parades ]
[ They Do This Under The Disguise That They Are Playing
     An Innocent Game Of Charades ]

[ Just Never Turn Your Back ]
[ & Watch Out For A Stab ]

[ For It Will Inevitably Come ]
[ Some People Around You Have No Heart ]
[ & Their Emotions Are Cold & Numb ]

[ Sometimes In Life You Have To Play The Game ]
[ It Might Be Different In Name ]
[ But Their Objective Is The Same ]

[ Disrupt The Calm ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[  Mahalo E Ka hoa  ]
[  A hui hou  ]
[ Aloha  ]

[  Na  ]
[  Lopaka DeVoe  ]

||•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•||

(801)▪︎[ To My Friend … 9•22•2021 ]

[ Saying (I AM SORRY) Just Doesn’t Cover It ]
[ Not Even A Little Bit ]

[ The Sorrow Cannot Be Measured ]
[ But The Memories Are Really Treasured ]

[ You Might Feel Like Your Life Is Tumbling Out Of
     Control ]
[ What Can Fill The Hole ]

[ You Have In Your Heart? ]
[ You Ask (WHEN CAN THAT START?) ]

[ Gather Your Friends & Family, Then Hug Them Tight ]
[ Please Remember The Friends That Are Not Always In
     Your Sight ]

[ Do Not Fight What You Feel ]
[ Because Mourning Is Real ]

[ & Oh Yea ]
[ I Have To Give A Shout Out To Where & When Our Friendship
     Started ]
[ The Year Was (1998) & The Unit Was Omega ]

[ I Did A (2) Term, (12) Weeks Practicum ]
[ For College ]
[ & The 1st Week I Felt So Dumb ]

[ The 1st Day I Was There, I Knew You Were The Alpha Dog ]
[ The Way That You Dealt With The Kids ]
[ & By What & How You Wrote In The Log ]

[ You Took Me Under Your Wing & Taught Me The Ways ]
[ You Showed Me How To Work The Nights ]
[ & Then The Days ]

[ You & Carla Were The Main Reasons That I ONLY Interviewed
     For That Unit ]
[ I Couldn’t See That The Others Would Be A Good Fit ]

[ I Always Knew That You Had Higher Aspirations ]
[ That Was One Of The Reasons That You Were Such An
     Inspiration ]

[ Then It All Crumbled ]
[ But You Wouldn’t Let Me Stumble ]

[ You Were The ONLY ONE That Stuck By Me When The Shit Hit
     The Fan ]
[ You Sent Me Short, Uplifting Texts With (4) Words ]
[(HANG IN THERE, MAN!) ]

[ I Have Admired You Since That 1st Day On The Floor ]
[ Please Know That You Will Always Be Welcomed @ My
     Door ]

[ We May Not Be Good @ Keeping In Touch ]
[ Much ]

[ I Still Love You Even Though You Root For The Las Vegas
     Raiders ]
[ Since They Left California, Are They Now Called The
     (TRAIDERS?) ]

[ I Miss The Short Text (HEY BUDDY) From You Come
     Across My Screen ]
[ Those Are (2) Words That Would Stop My Daily Routine ]

[ When Things Get Rough ]
[ Remember The Friends That Helped When Things Were
     Tough ]

[(HANG IN THERE, MAN!) ]

[ Much Respect & Love ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[  Mahalo E Ka hoa  ]
[  A hui hou  ]
[ Aloha  ]

[  Na  ]
[  Lopaka DeVoe  ]

||•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•||

(798)▪︎[ Will The Real Dad, Please Stand Up? … 9•21•2021 ]

[ Growing Up In Foster Care ]
[ Felt Like Going To The Dinner Table ]
[ & You Didn’t Have A Designated Chair ]

[ You Always Felt Wrong ]
[ Because You Felt Like You Were A Tag Along ]

[ You Grew Up Feeling So Alone ]
[ You Couldn’t Call Anybody ]
[ Because You Never Could Get A Dial Tone ]

[ You Found Out Late In Life That You Were Not Planned ]
[ By The Only Man ]

[ That Mattered In Your Life Growing Up ]
[ As You Grew, You Were Only Handed A Paper Cup ]

[ You Could Never Get A Glass ]
[ Even When You Asked ]

[ You Grew Up Yearning For Any Of His Attention ]
[ He Also Gave You The Same Amount Of Affection ]

[ You Did Not Grow Up Feeling He Was Your Hero ]
[ Because The Affection, Attention & Direction Was Zero ]

[ You Never Had Dreams When You Slept ]
[ He Gave You Zero Comforting When You Wept ]

[ You Were The (AND ONE)  In The Adoption Deal ]
[ He Probably Dreaded The Thought That You Were Just
     Another Meal ]

[ Another Mouth To Be Fed ]
[ Clear Out A Room & See The Need To Buy Another Bed ]

[ You Were Treated As An Outcast ]
[ He Saw That You Had So Much Emotional Baggage From
     Your Past ]

[ He Knew That Your Biological Father Was Dead ]
[ He Never Helped With The Nightmares ]
[ Of Seeing Your Father Shoot Himself In The Head ]

[ He Never Helped Console ]
[ He Never Wanted A Son ]
[ So He Refused To Take On That Father Figure Role ]

[ When Do Foster Kids Ever Get To Have Good Dreams? ]
[ Why Didn’t He Ever Help With The Screams? ]

[ Do They Go Away When They Legally Adopt & Let You Know? ]
[ You Would Think So … ]
[ But The Answer Is (NO) ]

[ Why Did Barbara Give You That Hurtful Piece Of Information? ]
[ Your Wife Put All Of The Pieces Together ]
[ Because That Was For Confirmation ]

[ All Of Those (18) Years When You Yearned For Approval ]
[ All He Wanted Was The Removal ]

[ Of The Boy He Never Wanted ]

[ You Stung Him Later In Life ]
[ When You Dropped His Last Name From Your Family ]
[ & Replaced It With The Maiden Name Of Your Wife ]

[ Now My Father-In Law, Is A Real Father ]
[ He Accepts You As A Son ]
[ He Has Taken On The Role That To You  Thought Was Such
     A Bother ]

[ It Is Really Sad ]
[ & You Hoped It Made Him Really Mad ]
[ That You Truly, Respectfully, Now Call Gary DeVoe, Dad! ]

[ Now That Has A Good Sound To It ]
[ The Last Name You Grew Up With ]
[ Now Sounds Like S–t ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[  Mahalo E Ka hoa  ]
[  A hui hou  ]
[ Aloha  ]

[  Na  ]
[  Lopaka DeVoe  ]

||•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•||

(005)▪︎[ What’s Possible … 1•2•2020 ]

[ @ Times You See What’s Possible ]
[ Instead Of What’s Already Here ]
[ When Things Look Attainable ]
[ You Look For Ways To Make The Vision Clear ]

[ Some People Make Things Happen ]
[ Others Look To Dampen ]

[ The Bright Days Of Their Peers ]
[ & They’ve Been Doing That For Years ]

[ They Just Want To Rain On People’s Parades ]
[ They Do This Under The Disguise That They Are Playing
     An Innocent Game Of Charades ]

[ Just Never Turn Your Back ]
[ & Watch Out For A Stab ]

[ For It Will Inevitably Come ]
[ Some People Around You Have No Heart ]
[ & Their Emotions Are Cold & Numb ]

[ Sometimes In Life You Have To Play The Game ]
[ It Might Be Different In Name ]
[ But Their Objective Is The Same ]

[ Disrupt The Calm ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[  Mahalo E Ka hoa  ]
[  A hui hou  ]
[ Aloha  ]

[  Na  ]
[  Lopaka DeVoe  ]

||•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•||

(022)▪︎[ Somewhere … 1•6•2020 ]

[ Someone Once Said (THAT TRUE FOCUS LIES SOMEWHERE BETWEEN
     RAGE & SERENITY) ]
[ Does That Mean That Most Of Our Lives Are Spent Fighting Off Insanity? ]
[ & Vanity? ]

[ Are More People Living Their Life Bordering On Being Vain? ]
[ Or From Going Insane? ]

[ Why Fight It? ]
[ Why Not See Delight In It While You’re Down In The Pits? ]

[ & When It All Hits The Fan ]
[ Collect All Of Your Wits & Do What You Can ]

[ What One Person Considers Serenity Others May Not ]
[ It Just May ]
[ Put Them In That Spot ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[  Mahalo E Ka hoa  ]
[  A hui hou  ]
[ Aloha  ]

[  Na  ]
[  Lopaka DeVoe  ]

||•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•||

(040)▪︎[ A Square Peg … 1•10•2020 ]

[ You Are A Square Peg, Surrounded By Round Holes ]
[ When You & Your Friends Look Around ]
[ You Start Questioning Your Roles ]

[ In The Bigger Scheme Of Things ]
[ What Will The Future Bring? ]

[ More Round Holes Where You Don’t Fit? ]
[ You Can’t Even Get In There A Little Bit ]

[ Can You Put In @ Least A Leg ]
[ Are There Legs On A Peg? ]

[ What Happened To All Of The Holes That Were Square ]
[ This Whole Thing Caught You Unaware ]
[ Should You Ask? ]
[ Do You Dare? ]
[ What If You Do That Task? ]
[ & Nobody Cared? ]

[ Would The Feeling Last ]
[ Would It Help You Get Passed Your Past? ]
[ Okay, If It Does ]
[ How Fast? ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[  Mahalo E Ka hoa  ]
[  A hui hou  ]
[ Aloha  ]

[  Na  ]
[  Lopaka DeVoe  ]

||•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•||

(042)▪︎[ The Crown … 1•11•2020 ]

[ Sometimes Life Gets Hard ]
[ & Things Happen That Didn’t Originally Seem Like They
     Were In The Cards ]

[ The Ice Doesn’t Melt ]
[ When You Have To Deal With The Cards That You’ve Been Dealt ]

[ So Always Keep In Mind ]
[ That You Will Be Able To Keep Things In Line ]

[ Uneasy Is The Head That Wears The Crown ]
[ But Just Don’t Take It Off ]
[ & Put It Down ]

[ For Be Fearful That The Power Will No Longer Be ]
[ There For You To Call Upon ]
[ Because If You Don’t See ]
[ Or Watch Out ]
[ The Magical Feelings Will Be Gone ]

[ Where Would They Go? ]
[ Maybe You Should Find Somebody Who Would
     Know ]
    
[ That Would Be Nice ]
[ I Hope They Have Ice ]

~ Ka hopena ~

[  Mahalo E Ka hoa  ]
[  A hui hou  ]
[ Aloha  ]

[  Na  ]
[  Lopaka DeVoe  ]

||•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•▪︎•||