(550)▪︎[ Big M Is My Hero … 7•5•2021 ]

[ Wow, It Is Fire Season Again? ]
[ Why Does It Even Have To Begin ]

[ I Meant It When I Said That You Are One Of The Hardest
     Working Men That I Know? ]
[ You Don’t Even Know How To Go Slow ]

[ When You Start A Project You Are Done Sooner Than
     Projected ]
[ When You Start A Project The End Result Is Always
     Better Than Expected ]

[ It Takes A Special Kind Of Man To Be A Wildlife Fire
     Fighter Such As Yourself ]
[ With The Exception Of You Guys ]
[ There Is Nobody Else ]

[ Hey This Summer Could I Get A Cool Sweatshirt That
     I Could Count As My Own? ]
[ If I Do, My Mind Will Be Blown! ]

[ I Have Just Gotten Used To You Being Around ]
[ I Have Really Been Enjoying Having You Around ]
[ I Have Been Liking The Visits When You Come Around ]

[ Your Job Is Not Done Here ]
[ We Still Need To Get Him Out Of Here ]

[ It Started With Him Looking Up To You ]
[ Then You Gave Him What Was Way Overdue ]

[ When We Met You Were Kind Of Reserved & Quiet ]
[ Now You Are A Riot! ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(581)▪︎[ Nancy Jo’s Burgers … 7•14•2021 ]

[ It Was A Hot July Day ]
[ The Time Was Around 1:00 In The Afternoon ]
[ & We Wanted To Find A Good Restaurant Where We Could
     Sit & Stay ]

[ As Long As We Wanted ]
[ Without Being Taunted ]

[ We Remembered This Great Burger Joint Off Of Commercial
     Street ]
[ They Have Freshly Made Burgers That Can’t Be Beat ]

[ But I Had A Memory That Soon Made A Point ]
[ About The Last Time That We Ate @ One Of Their Burger
     Joints ]

[ It Was The Woodburn One, Where Four Of Us Went To Eat ]
[ When We Inquired About Eating Inside & Taking A Seat ]
[ This Rude Cashier, Pretty Much Said We Could Get Our Food ]
[ But, We Would Have To Take It Outside To The Street ]

[ We Ordered Our Food, Then Defiantly Sat @ A Table ]
[ I Thought That If Their Sign Still Said ( OPEN ) ]
[ Then We Were Able ]

[ The Food Came Out & Of Course It Was Good ]
[ But That Cashier Remained Standing Right There In A Bad, Fuming
      Mood ]
[ Thinking That We Misunderstood ]

[ But Then She Had The Gall ]
[ To Make This Intercom Call ]

[ She Yelled Out A Name Very Loud … Twice ]
[ If I Was The Person She Called I Would Not Have Gone
     Up There ]
[ Because She Did Not Sound, Very Nice ]

[ Then She Said ( CAN YOU FUCKING BELIEVE THIS? ) In
     A Very Loud Voice ]
[ I Thought That Her Deciding To Say That Was The Most Horrible
     Choice ]

[ Of Words ]
[ That I Have Ever Heard ]

[ In A Restaurant ]
[ That Loud Woman Was No Polite Little Debutante ]

[ Even Though The Food Gives Out A Great Smell ]
[ She Didn’t Represent The Business Very Well ]

[ I Went Up To The Loud Woman & Asked For The Phone
     Number Of The Owner ]
[ She Gave It To Me, But I Did Not Like The Tone,
     Coming From Her ]

[ She Acted Like I Was An Inconvenience By Just Being
     There ]
[ The Mood That I Was In ]
[ I Really Didn’t Care ]
[ So, I Matched Her Stare For Stare ]

[ I Called The Number & It Just Rang & Rang, Then Stopped
     Without Any Voicemail ]
[ I Think The Call Failed ]
[ Because She Handed Me Bullshit, In A Pail ]

[ I Went Back Up & Got The Cooks Attention, This Time ]
[ I Gave Him A Tip That Was (30) Times Better Than A Dime ]

[ & When We Were Done & That Little Bitch Wondered If She
     Would Get Any? ]
[ I Left Her A Message With An Unspoken Word ]
[ By Leaving Her A Single, Dull Penny ]

[ But Today We Ate @ The Salem ( NANCY’S JO’S BURGERS &
     FRIES ) ]
[ If I Said That They Make The Best Burgers ]
[ I Would Not Be Telling You Lies ]

[ Nikita Was The Manager/Cashier With Her Left Arm In A Sling ]
[ But That Didn’t Stop Her From Doing Most Of Everything ]

[ She Is Polite, Courteous & Fast When She Rings Things Up ]
[ She Will Hand The Order To The Back ]
[ Then She Will Give You Your Change, While Handing You
     A Cup ]

[ Who Needs Two Good Arms When Nikita Is Around? ]
[ She Takes The Place Of Three People, I’ve Found ]

[ The Burgers & Fries Were Great ]
[ & So Were The (2) Milkshakes ]

[ Our Whole Experience, From Greeting To Goodbye, In Salem
     Were (5) Stars Above Woodburn ]
[ The Next Time We Are Up There We Won’t Give It Another
     Turn ]

[ Woodburn Was As Bad As Salem Shines ]
[ We Went To One Place, Once Too Many ]
[ We Will Continue To Go To The Salem One Many More
     Times ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(573)▪︎[ Almost Moving Day … 7•13•2021 ]

[ Well, Tomorrow Is The Big Day ]
[ & What Can I Say? ]

[ Good Luck! ]
[ Go Ducks! ]

[ I Don’t Really Know ]
[ This Day Took A Really Slow ]

[ Time, Getting Here ]
[ & Now It Is Near ]
[ & The Date Is Marked So Clear ]

[ I Am Not Jumping Up & Down For Joy ]
[ Like A Wind-Up Toy ]
[ Because He Will Always Be My Boy ]

[ But There Is The Fact ]
[ About How Dangerous He Acts ]

[ To Me & Others ]
[ Even Towards His Mother ]

[ Clear To His Soul ]
[ He Has Become Out Of Control ]

[ When He Gets Confronted, He Clenches His Fists ]
[ & That Shows That He Is Pissed ]

[ Off ]
[ & All Of His Common Sense Is Lost ]

[ So, Yes It Is About Time That He Takes His Groove ]
[ & Move ]

[ See How He Deals With Others After The Honeymoon
Stage ]
[ Is Over ]
[ & He Acts (4) Years Younger Than His Actual Age ]

[ Than They Will See The Actual, Real Him ]
[ & He Becomes A Problem ]

[ I Was & Am Tired Of The Rampant Disrespect That He
Shows ]
[ & How He Thumbs His Nose ]

[ @ Whatever I Have Said ]
[ & Does Whatever He Wants To Do Instead ]

[ Just Like It Is Almost Moving Time ]
[ This Is The End Of This Specific Rhyme ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(557)▪︎[ More Stress … 7•7•2021 ]

[ Stress Spreads Out From Sea To Shining Sea ]
[ Sucking In The Air ]
[ Keeping You From Feeling Free ]

[ Freedom For You Seems Like A Myth ]
[ Kind Of Like A Dog Chasing A Stick ]

[ Will It Be Into The Ocean, Or Across The Yard ]
[ Making The Ability To Find It, Extremely Hard ]

[ It Can Be Exclusive ]
[ Or Inclusive ]

[ Depending On The State ]
[ That Could Also Depend On The Wait ]

[ Is Freedom Worth Waiting For? ]
[ Worth Knocking On Every Door? ]

[ What Would Be The Norm? ]
[ It Would Be In What Form? ]

[ Would It Make You Conform ]
[ Because A Rag Soaked In Choroform ]

[ Was Put Over Your Mouth & Nose ]
[ Because That Was What Somebody Chose? ]

[ Then You Ask ]
[ Behind Your Covid Mask ]

[ ( IS THIS REALLY WHAT FREEDOM IS? ) ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(558)▪︎[ Better Now Or Not? … 7•7•2021 ]

[ Are You Better Off Now, Than You Were Before? ]
[ When You Went Into Your House A Year Ago ]
[ & Closed The Door? ]

[ On Everyone That Did Not Live There ]
[ If They Didn’t ]
[ It Did Not Matter From Where ]
[ Because Death Was Everywhere ]

[ How Are Your Relations With Strangers Now? ]
[ They Are Good? ]
[ How? ]
[ Things Are Just Misunderstood? ]
[ Wow! ]

[ Do You Talk To Strangers Anymore? ]
[ When Your Doorbell Rings ]
[ Are You More Wary Now Than Before ]
[ COVID ’19 ]
[ About Who Is On The Other Side Of The Door? ]

[ How Are Your Views On The Issue Of Race? ]
[ Does It Still Matter About The Color ]
[ Of Another Person’s Face? ]
[ When Looking @ Another ]
[ Why Should It Matter In The First Place? ]

[ You Don’t See Strangers, Stopping & Talking ]
[ You Only See Strangers Walking ]

[ Walking Right By ]
[ Without So Much As Saying ( HI ) ]
[ & No One Looks You In The Eyes ]

[ How Are People Supposed To Start Meeting? ]
[ How Are People Supposed To Meet & Go Out Eating? ]

[ Singles Are Meeting Through Computer Apps & Sights ]
[ Without Meeting ]
[ They Are Spending Their Nights ]

[ Swiping Left Or Swiping Right ]
[ No Arguing, That Causes A Fight ]
[ Even If It Did ]
[ Nobody Is In The Same Room @ Night ]

[ You Still Find It Safer Leaving Your Mask On ]
[ Because The Virus Is Not Gone ]

[ You Don’t Think Things Are Better Off? ]
[ Nobody Can Get Back The Time, Money Or Lives That Were Lost ]

[ That Doesn’t Make Now, Better Than Before The ‘VID ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(571)▪︎[ So Many Textures!! … 7•12•2021 ]

[ ( OH NO, THERE ARE SO MANY TEXTURES HERE! ) Is
What You Scream ]
[ Four Or Five @ The Same Time Has Never Been A Dream ]

[ It Is More Like A War Going On In Your Mouth ]
[ You Quickly Spit It Out ]

[ Who Dared To Talk You Into Eating That One? ]
[ Think It Was Me, Because I Wanted To Have Some Fun ]

[ It Was Something That Was Was Totally Harmless ]
[ It Would Have Disolved In Your Mouth Under (3) Seconds
@ Best ]

[ I Can’t Get Very Much By You These Days ]
[ & Believe Me, I Try To, In All Different Ways ]

[ But It So Much Fun To See & Hear Your Reactions ]
[ It Is More Fun Than Throwing You An Issue That Involves
Math Fractions ]

[ Because I Am A Much Better Friend To You Than Math Has
Ever Been ]
[ I Have Never Asked You To Multiply, Then ]
[ Divide 3.1638953079473 By Ten ]

[ I Am A Much Better Friend Than That ]
[ & No I Never Disliked When You Were Wearing A Hat ]

[ Your Hat Selection Was Always Very Amusing ]
[ How They Fit Into The Ambiance Of Your Outfits Was
Always Confusing  ]

[ You Always Came Here For My Son ]
[ But You Would Eventually Come Back To Talk To Me
Because You Were So Done ]

[ You Never Stood In Front Of Me Being Mild & Meek ]
[ & Through Your Time Here ]
[ I Think That I Have Almost Become An Expert @
( ASHA SPEAK ) ]

[ If You Were An Outsider, The ( HMMs, EMs HMMs, & MMs )
Might Drive You Delirious ]
[ But I Come To Call That ( PART OF THE ASHA EXPERIENCE ) ]

[ I Guess To Some It Would Be Like ( GOING DAKINE ) ]
[ To Alcohol Drinkers It Would Be Like The Feeling You Get
When You Dink Fine Wine ]

[ Enough Of The Hawaiian Coming Out From Me ]
[ Whenever You Eat Something New, It Is So Fun To Sit
Back & See ]

[ How You Look It Over ]
[ Then How You Smell It All Over ]

[ Then There Is THE First Small Taste ]
[ Then If You Like It, There Will Be No Waste ]

[ When It Comes To Have An Experience With A ( FOODY ) You
Are My First ]
[ I Loved It When It Took You (3) Days To Get Up The Nerve
To Ask Me For A Water ]
[ To Quench Your Thirst ]

[ The ( ASHA EXPERIENCE ) Will Not Stop Here ]
[ Ash, Do I Make My Point Clear? ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(570)▪︎[ Thank You, Ash … 7•12•2021 ]

[ How Do I Close Our Front Door On Your Last Shift ]
[ Everytime You Came Here You Gave Me An Emotional
Lift ]

[ You Stepped In Whenever Zoey Called Out ]
[ You Protected Me, Without My Need To Shout ]

[ I Know Why You Came Back ]
[ You Wanted To Protect Me If BD Chose To Attack ]

[ Me One Night ]
[ You Chose To Protect Me If He Stepped Up To Fight ]

[ I Know ]
[ That You Could Have Reported Him Many Many Months
Ago ]

[ Maybe You Did Not Want Me To Go Through The Headache
Of The Investigation That Would Follow ]
[ @ An Early Time Here ]
[ You Found Out That His Words Sounded Hollow ]

[ I Know That You Were Put Through Hell ]
[ & Things That I Heard ]
[ Did Not Sit With Me Very Well ]
[ It Was Hard For You To Even Repeat Any Of His Words ]
[ Sometimes, I Could Tell ]

[ But You Stood Tall ]
[ & Remained Strong ]
[ You Showed Him That He Was Hitting A Wall ]
[ When He Was Doing Something Wrong ]

[ I Am Going To Miss You Beyond What Words Can Say ]
[ Everytime You Showed Up ]
[ You Made My Day ]

[ Ash, You Are Really Going To Be Missed! ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(569)▪︎[ Lost In The Shades … 7•11•2021 ]

[ I Have Found That I Get Lost In The Shades Of Color Or
     Lack There Of ]
[ Thankfully I Don’t Have To Be Asked Which One Of The Millions
     Of Colors Do I Love? ]

[ Sometimes Things Look A Little Gray ]
[ Because Being Color Blind Does Not Change During
     The Day ]

[ Night Time Does Not Get Any Better ]
[ Because Many Times In The Color Blind Book ]
[ I Cannot See The Number Or Letter ]

[ The Book Starts Out As Easy As Can Be ]
[ But Then I Could Not Get Past Page Number Three ]

[ Then Everything Went Blurry & My Eyes Got Lost ]
[ If I Ever Wanted To Correct My Vision ]
[ I Wouldn’t Do It, No Matter The Cost ]

[ I Know That My Favorite Color Right Now Is Pink ]
[ Sometimes I Get Colors Confused ]
[ Because Of The Different Colors Of Ink ]

[ Red & Black Sometimes Get Lost & Then Comes Out Looking
     A Little Green ]
[ Those Are The Times When I Get Confused By Looking @
     Something On The Small Screen ]

[ So One Day When I Was Young ]
[ I Was Showing Barbara A Picture That I Proudly Colored ]
[ But My Insensitive Bitch Of A Sister, Could Not Hold
     Her Tongue ]

[ She Laughed & Laughed Right On Cue ]
[ She Was Laughing Because I Had Colored Half Of The Sky
     Purple ]
[ & Half Of The Sky Blue ]

[ I Knew From That Point On ]
[ That My Ability To Tell The Differences Between Some
     Colors ]
[ Was Long Gone ]

[ By The Wayside ]
[ Because I Was Seriously Color Blind ]

[ So Be It, Is What I Say ]
[ I Guess There Had To Come A Day ]
[ To Be Shone That Way ]

[ I Guess A Little Healthy Sibling Teasing Has A Good Meaning
     Behind It ]
[ Even Though @ The Time ]
[ I Did Not Appreciate It, One Little Bit ]

[ I Do Like To Look Back @ That Interaction More Calmly ]
[ So I Look Back @ That Day More Fondly ]

[ @ Least There Is One Interaction That Was Remembered
     Like That ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(567)▪︎[ Get Out Of My House! … 7•11•2021 ]

[ Well, The Era Of My Son Living @ Home Is Coming To An End
     In A Few Days ]
[ My Emotions About It, Has Me Thinking About This In Many
     Ways ]

[ But I Know For A Fact ]
[ Because Of How He Acts ]
[ & Reacts ]

[ Around Here & With Me ]
[ This Is What Needs To Happen ]
[ From What I See ]

[ He Goes From 0 To 60 In One Second Flat ]
[ This Is Where Our Relationship Is @ ]

[ He Still Will Not Take Accountability ]
[ For His Actions ]
[ He Just Flat Out Fails @ Taking Responsibility ]
[ For His Reactions ]

[ The Time For Me To Mold ]
[ Him Into An Adult ]
[ Should Have Had Some Kind An Affect By The Time That He
     Was 18 Years Old ]

[ I Have Not Had Any Affect On Him For The Last (8) Years,
     It Seems ]
[ The Way Things Have Turned Out, Was Nowhere Near My
     Dreams ]

[ That I Had ]
[ For The Last 8+ Years He Has Not Respected Me As His
     Dad ]

[ Like That Last Word In That Sentence, I Stand Alone ]
[ Like A Single Stone ]

[ In His Life’s Path, Just Getting Kicked To The Side ]
[ Not Caring, How It Made Me Feel Inside ]

[ But His Moving Out Day, Is Coming Up ]
[ I Won’t Have Him In My House, Anymore ]
[ Stealing Everything Of Mine, Except My Lone, Coffee Cup ]

[ Now In A Couple Of Nights, He Will Be In A Different House,
     With A Different Atmosphere ]
[ I Hope In The Dead Of The Night When It’s Quiet ]
[ That He Will Think Back & See How Good He Had It Here ]

[ I Hope, That Missing Living In This House, Will Stay In The
     Forefront Of His Mind ]
[ Sometimes ]

[ & Then See How His Actions Pushed The Move Out Button
     Sooner Than Later ]
[ His Actions & Language Turned Him Into A Hater ]

[ A Hater Of Everything That I Did Or Said ]
[ With Other Men ]
[ He Would Have Gotten Smacked Really Hard Upside His
     Head ]
[ But I Chose To Be Non-Violent Instead ]

[ & Now See ]
[ Where It Got Me ]
[ Him Moving Out In (3) ]

[ More Days! ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(566)▪︎[ Heads Up … 7•10•2021 ]

[ It Is So Hard To Keep Treading Water, When The Waters Are
     So Rough ]
[ Keeping Your Head Up, When Life Gets So Tough ]

[ I Try To Rely On Others For My Meals & Care ]
[ Sometimes, When I Reach Out ]
[ Nobody Is There ]

[ I Cannot Keep Reaching Out, When I Have No Luck ]
[ I Cannot Buy Much, If All I’ve Got Is A Buck ]

[ Afterall, It Is The Almighty Dollar, That Makes The World
     Go Around ]
[ Sometimes It Is So Hard To Keep My Feet, Planted Firmly
     On The Ground ]

[ So Much Wrong Is Going On In The World, Right Now ]
[ You Look Sideways @ Someone & They Have A Cow ]

[ Actually More & More Simple Disputes Are Settled With
     Gun Fire ]
[ Every Which Way You Look ]
[ Someone, Is Being Called A Liar ]

[ Some People Have Actually Obtained An Allergy, With Sitting
     Down With Someone & Telling The Truth ]
[ It Is Like A Cavity, Overtaking A Front Tooth ]

[ Things Are Getting Way Out Of Hand, With How We Deal
     With Each Other ]
[ Kids Are Growing Up, Disrespecting Their Mothers ]

[ Whatever Happened To Lovin’ Thy Neighbor ]
[ Or Did That Go By The Wayside, Like Child Labor? ]

[ Marriages Are Being Thrown Away As Easily, As An Old Bic
     Pen ]
[ & Then, They Will Get Married & Divorced Again ]

[ No One Gets As Invested, Like They Used To Do ]
[ Some Marriages Only Lasts, A Year Or Two ]

[ Others, Are In It For The Long Run ]
[ Those, Are The Couples, That Makes Being Married Fun ]

[ Those Types Of People Live Better & Live Longer ]
[ They Love Life ]
[ So Their Relationships, Are Stronger ]

[ Some People Float In & Out Of Our Lives ]
[ Just Like Some Guys Carry Guns ]
[ While Others Carry Knives ]

[ People Are As Different To Each Other Like Two Different
     Fingertips ]
[ Or The Imprint, Of Two Lips ]

[ As Different As Two Snowflakes ]
[ The Differences Between Pies & Cake ]

[ Things Are Vastly Different ]
[ & People Can Be So Indifferent ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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