(559)▪︎[ I Gained A Friend … 7•8•2021 ]

[ I Entered Into A Friendship Many Months Ago ]
[ With A Young Lady That I Did Not Know ]

[ We Were Quite The Opposite Of Each Other ]
[ I Grew Up With (2) Sisters ]
[ & She Grew Up With More Than ½ A Dozen Brothers ]

[ I Am Quite Short & She Is Quite Tall ]
[ I Don’t Say A Thing About Her Height ]
[ & She Has Never Called Me Small ]

[ We Grew-Up In Vastly Different Towns ]
[ We Grew-Up Probably Saying Different Verbs & Nouns ]

[ Describing & Seeing Things Through Different Eyes ]
[ So Of Course We Had Different Lives ]
[ She Will Find Out That I Am Not An Ordinary Guy ]

[ But Then In November, Fate Put Her In My House ]
[ She Had A Great Interview With Me & My Spouse ]

[ Very Business Like, Is How She Came Off ]
[ We Threw Alot Of Information @ Her During Those Two
Hours ]
[ & She Never Got Lost ]

[ She Came Into Our Lives To Be Our Son’s ABC ]
[ Then She Became A Really Good Friend To Me ]

[ She Started Here Being Extremely Reserved ]
[ I Was A Grumpy Old Man Is How I Was Observed ]

[ Through Time ]
[ She Became The Main Subject Of Many Of My Rhymes ]

[ I Have Found That There Is A Beautiful, Fragile, Hilarious
Woman Under That Hard Shell ]
[ In Everything & Everyday She Does Mean Well ]
[ She Doesn’t Have A Negative Thought In Her Head ]
[ Even Though, I Have Felt That In Her Past She Was Put
Through Hell ]

[ My Heart Hurts When I Have Those Thoughts About Her ]
[ I Am Never Sure ]

[ I Will Never Ask ]
[ I Won’t Take On That Personal Task ]
[ Those Questions Will Stay Behind My Mask ]

[ She Calls Herself An Introvert ]
[ That Could Be Her Protective Armor ]
[ Because Of All Of Her Hurt ]

[ She Is Caring & Protective ]
[ She Is Finding Out That We Love To Give ]
[ That Is Just How We Choose To Live ]

[ We Were Once In Need In Our Younger Years ]
[ When We Give Now, Our Hearts Let Out Three Cheers ]

[ My Friend’s Employment Will End Here Within A Week ]
[ That Is Hard To Say ]
[ So This Story Was Written Because I Wanted To Write
Every Word That My Heart Speaks ]

[ So You See ]
[ Your Protective Armor Was Not Meant To Be Worn For Me ]

[ As This Story Comes To An End ]
[ I Want To Tell Her Thank You For Calling ME Your Friend ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(565)▪︎[ No More Pain … 7•9•2021 ]

[ Suicide Is Very Prevalent, In Today’s Society ]
[ It Can Be A Mental Disorder, Where People Suffer Quietly ]

[ As They Go Quietly In The Night ]
[ Because They Give Up ]
[ & Quit The Fight ]

[ Sometimes It Is Because They Have No More Energy To Keep
Fighting ]
[ So They Put Down Their Pen ]
[ After They Are Done Writing ]

[ Their Suicide Note ]
[ Then They Read, What They Just Wrote ]

[ They Wrote That Nothing Makes Them Happy, Anymore ]
[ Not Even A Friend, Walking Through The Door ]

[ Sometimes Days On End ]
[ Are Stayed Covered Up, In Their Bed ]

[ Only Getting Up For Drinks Or Food ]
[ Thinking That Whatever They Say, Will Be Misunderstood ]

[ Getting Up Fewer & Fewer Times, As The Hours Tick By ]
[ Because Of Their Depressive Moods ]
[ No One Comes By, To Say ( HI ) ]

[ The More Days That People Stay Away ]
[ The Less They Eat ]
[ & The Less That They Weigh ]

[ Sometimes Suicidal Thoughts, Consume Them ]
[ Getting Away From The Suicidal Thoughts, Becomes A Problem ]

[ Once They Have Decided To Take Their Pills ]
[ A Feeling Of Warmth, Pushes Out The Chills ]

[ Then They Quietly Lay Down & Close Their Eyes ]
[ No Longer Having To Listen, To Anymore Lies ]

[ When They Are Found, They Are Gone ]
[ Their Soul Has Moved On ]

[ Then, There Is No More Pain ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(560)▪︎[ Where Time Goes To Die … 7•8•2021 ]

[ Sometimes Life Comes @ You So Fast ]
[ That It Makes You Do A Double Take ]
[ As It Flies Into Your Past ]

[ It Is Like That When You Are Doing Something Fun ]
[ One Minute You Start Something ]
[ & The Next Minute You Are Done ]

[ But If It Is Boring Or Hard To Do ]
[ One Hour Could Go By ]
[ But It Felt Like Two ]

[ Memories Sometimes Don’t Last Forever ]
[ Unless You Try To Remember ]

[ A Scent Can Trigger A Memory From Years Passed ]
[ That Would Be One Way To Make A Memory Last ]

[ Some Memories Are Never Meant To Be Remembered ]
[ Some Memories Are Best Left In September ]

[ Is It Life Or Time That Flies By ]
[ All Of A Sudden A Year Is Gone With A Blink Of An Eye ]

[ You Can Never Stock Up On Time ]
[ Like You Can A Penny Or A Dime ]

[ A Dime Here Or A Dime There ]
[ Soon You Will Have Enough Change To Share ]

[ You Can’t Hold Back The Tic Tok ]
[ Of The Wall Clock ]
[ Sometimes There May Come A Time When It Becomes Hard
For You To Walk ]

[ Never Surrender To Your Aches & Pains ]
[ Do Not Let Time Fly By That You Can’t Explain ]
[ Do Not Spend Time Being Known As The One Who Complains ]

[ That Would Be Time Wasted ]
[ That Would Be Like Food Being Thrown In The Garbage
Without Being Tasted ]

[ Sometimes Time Just Flies By You ]

~ 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 The 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 ]

(532)▪︎[ I Don’t Know Where I Am Going … 6•29•2021 ]

[ Right Now I Feel Like I Am Set Adrift In A Boat On The
     Sea Of Disarray ]
[ I Am Trying To Get To The Island That Makes Sense ]
[ But I Can’t Find My Way ]

[ Just When I Think That I Am Heading Down The Right Path ]
[ I Float Right By ]
[ My Coordinates Are Wrong, Because I Have Always Been Bad
     In Math ]

[ I Have Circled The Island @ Least (5) Times Now ]
[ On The (3rd) Pass I Thought That I Saw A Cow ]
[ & Then I Spent A Big Chunk Of Time ]
[ Wondering How? ]

[ But I Guess Whenever I Have A Daytime Nightmare Anything
     Goes ]
[ I Once Had One In June, But Then It Snowed ]

[ Floating Aimlessly On The Sea Was Never On The Bucket
     List For My Life ]
[ I Already Accomplished The One On The Top Of My List ]
[ & That Was To Find Me A Loving, Supportive Wife ]

[ But She Can’t Make A Boat Paddle Magically Appear Anytime
     Soon ]
[ If She Could, I Wish That She Could Do This By Tomorrow Before Noon ]

[ How Can I Get Out Of This Dangerous Current Taking Me
     Nowhere ]
[ Why Can’t I Find The Current That Will Take Me Somewhere ]

[ Somewhere Quiet & Calm ]
[ Somewhere That Won’t Give Me Sweaty Palms ]

[ A Place Where My Feet Are Planted Firmly On The Ground ]
[ Dirt, Grass, Concrete Or Mud ]
[ Somewhere That Doesn’t Involve Water Anywhere Around ]

[ When I Am In These Daytime Nightmares Everything Seems
     To Be Moving Really Slow ]
[ Can I See Them Coming? ]
[ That Would Be A ( NO! ) ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

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

[ 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 ]

[ Who Is Going To Come Over To Give Attitude Adjustments
To My Disrespectful Son? ]
[ I Love Watching The Video Of You Coming Through The
Door & Making Him Run ]

[ 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 ]

[ The Kind Of Ass Chewing That He Deserved ]
[ When You Did That I Wanted To Say ( DINNER IS SERVED ) ]

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

[ But The Good Kind ]
[ Not The Ones That Messes With My Mind ]

[ Big M, You Have Become An Integral Part In My Life ]
[ You Are A Protective Light ]

[ You Are The Only Younger Man That I Have Come To
Respect ]
[ When Zoey Comes Over For Any Kind Of Event ]
[ You Will Also Be Someone That I Expect ]

[ Through My Years I Have Learned ]
[ That Respect Is Something Earned ]

[ You Earned Mine Before We Even Met ]
[ That Is Hard To Give ]
[ & Extremely Hard To Get ]

[ I Know With Your Job You Are Extremely Careful, Every
Step You Take ]
[ & There Are Very Few Mistakes That Are Made ]

[ Every Day & Every Night ]
[ You Put Up Your Best Fight ]

[ I Have Always Made This Clear ]
[ Any Time That You Ever Want To Talk ]
[ I Am Right Here ]

[ Big M, Things Are Going To Be Just Fine ]
[ Always Hold The Line ]

[ Everyday That Zoey Is Here I Always Ask How You Are ]
[ Near Or Far ]

[ You Are Always In My Thoughts ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(531)▪︎[ What A Great Physical Therapist … 7•1•2021 ]

[ Kirsten, What Can I Say, That Hasn’t Already Been Said ]
[ Your Physical Therapy Sessions ]
[ Work So Much Better, Than Any Med ]

[ That Can Ever Be Prescribed ]
[ What You Do For Me Just Cannot Be Described ]

[ You Have Told Me To Refrain ]
[ From Concentrating On The Pain ]

[ Well Let Me Tell You Something About My Life ]
[ I Don’t Have Much Going On ]
[ Besides A Few Friends, The Pain & My Wife ]

[ I Have NEVER Had A Physical Therapist Call To Check Up
     On Me ]
[ @ Home ]
[ No Other Physical Therapist Ever Wanted To See ]
[ What They Didn’t Know ]

[ How Things Were Going Since Our Last Time? ]
[ No One Ever Wanted To Drop A Dime ]
[ & None Of Those In My Past ]
[ Deserves A Story For Them That Rhymes ]

[ Whenever Someone Brings Up P.T. I Give Them A Small Clue ]
[ About Where To Go ]
[ I Try To Send Business Towards You ]
[ That Is One Bit Of Information I Feel That They Should Know ]

[ I Tried To Tell Your Boss Today When He Was Leaving &
     We Were Waiting For The Elevator ]
[ He Seemed Annoyed ]
[ He Acted Like I Was Such The Bother ]

[ But I Said What I Wanted To Say ]
[ He Seemed Very Bothered In The Worst Way ]

[ Everything You Have Me Do On My Own ]
[ @ Home ]

[ I Have Never Tried Before ]
[ I Know That You Are Trying To Make It Easier For Me To
     Be Able To Walk ]
[ Without Collapsing To The Floor ]

[ You Pull My Right Leg To Go Over There ]
[ & You Do It With So Much Care ]

[ I Like How You Explain Things To Whomever Is Your
     Shadow ]
[ I Think You Make It So Easy To Get To Know ]

[ You Would Be Such The Greatest Instructor ]
[ Or Teacher ]

[ A Good Instructor/ Coach Never Instructs Their Students
     To Do Something That They Themselves Would Not Do ]
[ They Would Learn Things That They Would Do, Too ]

[ Now You Have Another Child On The Way ]
[ I Know You & Your Husband Are Excited About That Day ]

[ Your Son Will Have A New Sister Or Brother ]
[ I Hope They Grow Up To Be The Best In Their Job ]
[ Like Their Mother ]

[ I Am Still Amazed About How Strong You Are ]
[ When I Think About All Of The Wonderful People
     In Your Agency ]
[ I Will Always Say That You Are The Brightest Star ]

[ If Ever There Was A Contest To Say Who Is The Best
      & I Had A Vote ]
[ I Would Put Your Name In Capital Letters ]
[ Because Kirsten, You Are The G.O.A.T. ]

[ I Thank YOU For Being YOU! ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(527)▪︎[ Friendship … 6•28•2021 ]

[ Friendship Is Not Something That Can Be Explained ]
[ It Is A Subject Where People Have Complained ]

[ This Is Not A Subject That Was Taught In School ]
[ But If You Did Not Learn This, You Look Like The Fool ]

[ Friendship Lines Are Sometimes Set By Race ]
[ Sometimes It Really Does, Go By The Color Of Your Face ]

[ That Is Sad, But True ]
[ This May Or May Not, Affect Someone That Looks Like
     You ]

[ Looks Can Affect Everything ]
[ But Sometimes Looks Does Not Mean A Single Thing ]

[ Friendship Is Often Drawn Down Monetary Lines ]
[ Sometimes It Matters To Others If Your Piggy Bank Is
     Full Of Pennies Or Dimes ]

[ Some People Can Be Total Bitches ]
[ If You Are Not One Of The Richest ]

[ Friendship Should Be Based On The Person, Not What
     Is In Their Wallet ]
[ Or The Coins In Someone’s Pocket ]

[ If You Do Not Know How To Be A Friend, How Can They
     Get One? ]
[ If You Are Not Fun ]
[ Would That Make Someone Run? ]

[ To You, Or Away From You? ]
[ If You Knew ]
[ What Would You Do? ]

[ Some Follow & Some Lead ]
[ Some Step Up, In Times Of Need ]

[ When Those That Follow ]
[ Try To Speak ]
[ Do Their Words Come Out Sounding Hollow? ]
[ Or Weak? ]

[ Is It Possible To Teach Someone That Has No Soul ]
[ How To Step Into A Leadership Role? ]

[ @ Times, That Is An Impossible Task ]
[ @ Times, Some People Are Well Hidden Behind Their ‘VID 19 Mask ]

[ School Teaches People Many Things ]
[ How To Read, How To Play The Trumpet ]
[ & How To Group People Together That Sings ]

[ But It Won’t Teach You How To Make A Friend, Though ]
[ Those Kinds Of Life’s Lessons ]
[ You Have To, Grow ]
[ To Know ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(528)▪︎[ The Sunshine … 6•28•2021 ]

[ The Air Is Stifling When I Go Ouside ]
[ When The Weatherman Predicted This ]
[ I Thought That He Lied ]

[ This Situation ]
[ Reminds Me Of Our Last Las Vegas Vacation ]

[ It Was Well Over 110° During The Hottest Times Of The
     Day ]
[ One Time I Heard 113° ]
[ So I Went ( WHAT DID YOU SAY? ) ]

[ Opening The Door Of Our Car Felt Like I Opened
     An Oven Door ]
[ Then, When She Turned On The Air Conditioner ]
[ There Was More ]

[ Hot Air Blown Into My Eyes & Nose ]
[ I Think I Like The Winter ]
[ When I Almost Froze ]

[ If I Had To Choose, I Would Go With The Cold ]
[ Instead Of The Heat ]
[ Even Though It Makes My Joints Feel Old ]

[ This Type Of Heat Stops Everything ]
[ Because No One Wants To Do Anything ]

[ Normally Heat Brings Out The Sun Bathers Headed
     For The Beach ]
[ But This Kind Of Heat, Makes Everybody Feel Weak ]

[ Weak In The Knees & Weak In The Whole Body ]
[ But Nothing Beats The Look Of A String Bikini On
     A Female Hottie ]

[ Heat Warms Up The Food But Becomes An Inconvenience
     When It Goes Too High ]
[ & No Matter How Much Water I Drink ]
[ My Mouth Still Feels Extremely Dry ]

[ The Sunshine Is Always Good To See ]
[ The Sunshine Is Always Good To Feel ]
[ Especially When The Sunshine Can Be ]
[ Real ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(541)▪︎[ Happy Birthday … 7•4•2021 ]

[ Just Because You Are Out Of Sight ]
[ Doesn’t Mean That You Are Out Of My Mind ]
[ It Is A Fight ]
[ Of The Hardest Kind ]

[ Hard, Because Oftentimes Memories Can Fade ]
[ There Is Not Always A Frame Of Reference ]
[ When Those Memories Were Made ]

[ It Is Not Like It Is A Fade To Black ]
[ Like I Have Ever Turned My Back ]

[ Quite To The Contrary My Friend ]
[ Because I Don’t See An End ]

[ Our Friendship Was Sealed Many Years Ago ]
[ How Do I Know ]
[ This? ]
[ It Is Because That Is How I Said It To Be So ]

[ We Used To Talk For Hours ]
[ When It Was Sunny In The Sky ]
[ & Through The Dark Sky & Thunder Showers ]

[ But Now … ]
[ How? ]

[ You Have Project On Top Of Project ]
[ & Then Work ]
[ How Would We Ever Have Time To Connect? ]

[ I Am Always Just Sitting Here ]
[ Ready To Talk ]
[ Or Just Lend An Ear ]

[ I Am Not Just One Of Those Ordinary Guys ]
[ That You Deal With Everyday ]
[ Because When I Listen To Your Eyes ]
[ You Always Have An Ice Cold Mt. Dew On Its Way ]

[ It Is So Uncanny ]
[ That There Has Never Been Another Dani ]

[ I Find It Extremely Hard ]
[ To Tone Down How I Really Feel About You ]
[ To Saying ( WITH DEEPEST REGARDS ) ]

[ You Know By Choice ]
[ That In Your Book ]
[ I Am Not Qualified To Raise My Voice ]

[ so I will just say, much love & respect ]
[ this is the softest Whisper I can get! 🤫🤫🤫 ]
[ through text ]

[ Happy Birthday To My Good Friend … Dani ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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