(183)▪︎[ Don’t Strain … 2026 ]

[ Why Should You Ever Feel The Need To Hide? ]
[ Is It Because Of The Pain That You Feel Inside? ]
[ Is It Because When You Last Spoke ]
[ She Insinuated That You Lied? ]
[ & That Almost Caused You To Choke ]

[ The Words ]
[ That You Heard ]
[ Really Caused You To Hurt ]

[ You Know That You Shouldn’t ]
[ You Thought That She Wouldn’t ]

[ Cross That Line, But In The End, She Did ]
[ That Was Why You Hid ]
[ Just Like When You Were A Little Kid ]

[ Gone Was The Dream ]
[ Because You Thought That You Were Part Of The Team ]

[ Now That Dream Leaves A Stench ]
[ You Should Have Known That It Would Have Been A Stretch ]
[ For You To Ever Get Off Of The Bench ]

[ Why Was That? ]
[ Just When You Thought You Were Living Your (8th) Life Of A Cat ]

[ It Was Like You Got A Smack ]
[ On Your Back ]

[ It Has Thrown You For A Loop ]
[ Because You Never Thought As A Group ]
[ They Would Ever Stoop ]

[ This Low ]
[ But It Just Goes To Show ]
[ That When You Have Tried To Grow ]
[ There Will Still Be Alot Of Things That You Will Never Know ]

[ Sometimes It Seems Like The Things That You Don’t Know Will Out Number The Things That You Do ]
[ Could You Save Your Money ]
[ & Try To Buy Yourself A Clue? ]

[ Will That Kind Of Thinking Come All The Way Around ]
[ & Knock You To The Ground? ]

[ Through The Years ]
[ After Shedding Many Tears ]
[ You Have Heard A Whole Lot Bad Ideas ]
[ Go Through Your Ears ]

[ You Found That Fear & Anxiety Kills ]
[ As Fast As Overdosing On Prescription Pills ]
[ & As Quick As The North Wind Chills ]

[ There Is No Coming Back, When You Become That Lost ]
[ In The Dark Of The Night, Don’t You Realize The Cost? ]

[ Man, Woman, Boy Or Girl ]
[ If You Do Not Like Where You Are ]
[ In The Blink Of An Eye You Can Change Your World ]

[ Life Is So Short, You Should Live For Today ]
[ Do What You Want, Within Reason ]
[ Don’t Always Follow What Other People Say ]

[ Even When It Doesn’t Rain ]
[ Use Your Brain ]
[ Live In A Comfortable Manner ]
[ Don’t Strain ]

[ Straining Your Body ]
[ Is Not Good For Anybody ]

~ Ka hopena ~

Mahalo nui loa
A hui hou kaua e kuu hoa

Na,
Lopaka DeVoe

~ Aloha ~

▪︎ •• •• ▪︎

(184)▪︎[ It Is A Choice … 2026 ]

[ They Say That You Should Live Every Day Like It Is Your Last ]
[ You Have Also Heard That If You Don’t Want To Repeat Your Mistakes ]
[ You Should Never Forget Your Past ]
[ You Feel If You Have Special People Around You, Tell Them How You Feel About Them Fast ]

[ Life Changes In The Blink Of An Eye ]
[ Because Of Someone Making A Mistake ]
[ Or Because Someone Has Been Telling A Lie ]
[ & Being Fake ]

[ In The Blink Of An Eye You Could Also Tell A Friend, “I Love & Respect You” ]
[ Not Because Of What They Say ]
[ Maybe It’s Because Of What They Do ]
[ From Day To Day ]

[ Alot Of People Are Only Wrapped Up Into Themselves ]
[ & Not Be True To Anyone Else ]

[ It Becomes Really Clear ]
[ That They Only Love The Reflection In The Mirror ]
[ But In The Dark Of The Night ]
[ & Their Own Heartbeat Is The Only Thing That They Hear ]
[ It Becomes An Internal Fight ]
[ To Control A Tear ]

[ What Do They Have To Lose? ]
[ If They Choose ]
[ To Let The Tears Loose? ]

[ It Is That Internal War ]
[ That Eats @ Their Core ]
[ Then Keeping Their External Shell Alive ]
[ That Becomes A Chore ]
[ In Their Pursuit To Thrive ]

[ Not Sharing Their Love With The Ones That Matter ]
[ Can Cause A Relationship To Shatter ]
[ While The Emotional Gap Between You & Others ]
[ Only Gets Fatter ]

[ For Some, Honesty ]
[ Is Not Their Top Priority ]
[ & Modesty ]
[ Is Not Their Favorite Policy ]

[ For Some People It Shows ]
[ That The World Ends @ The Tip Of Their Nose ]
[ & This Is How You Have Chosen ]
[ To Bring This Poetic Story To A Close ]

~ Ka hopena ~

Mahalo nui loa
A hui hou kaua e kuu hoa

Na,
Lopaka DeVoe

~ Aloha ~

▪︎ •• •• ▪︎

(562)▪︎[ No Sleeping … 7-8-2021 ]

[ As You Listen To The Loud Tik Tok ]
[ Of The Wall Clock ]

[ You Wish For One Single Night That You Could Be Like A Normal Person ]
[ You Would Want The Sleepy Version ]

[ The Kind That Could Go To Sleep Before 0500hrs In The Night ]
[ The Version Where You Would Not Have To Put Up A Fight ]

[ To Get A Night Of Deep ]
[ Sleep ]
[ Without Hearing A Single Peep ]

[ You Would Take Your Liquid Knock-Out Sleeping Med ]
[ Then You Just Wait Until It Messes With Your Head ]

[ It Is The Kind Of Med That Knocks You Senseless ]
[ But It Also Leaves You Completely Defenseless ]

[ Less Is More ]
[ & More Puts You Face Down On The Floor ]
[ Left To Be Victimized By Whomever Shall Come In That Door ]

[ You Had A Premonition Years Ago That He Was Destined To Do You Harm ]
[ That Was From Years Ago When He Attempted To Hurt Your Arm ]

[ He Cannot Dictate Whether You Take Your Sleep Med @ Night ]
[ You Cannot Control If He Wanted To Come In & Fight ]

[ To Protect Yourself From Death ]
[ You Would Fight Him Until Your Last Breath ]

[ So There Is Alot Of Things @ Night That Make You Worry ]
[ There Are Alot Of Things That Cause Sleep To Not Arrive In A Hurry ]

[ You Sometimes Have To Watch The Clock As 0100hrs, 0300hrs & 0400hrs Goes By ]
[ You Sit Or Lay There Wondering, “Why?” ]

[ Why Can’t You Be One Of Those Lucky Guys? ]
[ Who Can Go To Sleep, Just By Closing Their Eyes ]

[ Even When You Are Able To Fall Asleep, It Is Never Restful Or Good ]
[ You Guess The Word, “Sleep” In Your Brain Was Misunderstood ]

[ As You Sit For Awhile ]
[ You Look @ The Ceiling ]
[ Then You Look Down @ The Cold Tile ]

[ You Only Have The Power ]
[ To Sleep For Five Or Six Hours ]

[ When You Wake ]
[ You Feel Tired ]
[ & Your Muscles Ache ]

[ Those Are The Times When You Wish That You Had Never Closed Your Eyes In The First Place ]
[ Sometimes You Feel That All Of The Effort Is A Waste ]

[ You No Longer Like Going To Bed ]

~ Ka hopena ~

Mahalo nui loa
A hui hou kaua e kuu hoa

Na,
Lopaka DeVoe

~ Aloha ~

▪︎ •• •• ▪︎

(172)▪︎[ S.Y.O.T.O.S. … 2026 ]

[ If Someone Close To You, Comes Up To You & Says, “See You On The Other Side” ]
[ He Is Telling You, In Their Mind, He Has Already Died ]

[ He Hopes To See You Somewhere In The Next Life ]
[ Away From All The Danger & Constant Strife ]

[ He Is Giving Up ]
[ He Wants His Life Line Cut ]
[ & His Book Shut ]

[ It Is Not Suicide, Per Say ]
[ That Phrase Is Telling You That Nothing Is Okay ]
[ On That Day ]

[ It Is Probably Not What You Expect ]
[ But Your Friend Is Showing You The Highest Respect ]
[ They Know That You Won’t Over React ]

[ There Is Nothing To Do ]
[ This Is Something That He Just Has To Work Through ]

[ This Is How He Wants To Go ]
[ & It Was Something That He Wanted You To Know ]

[ He Hopes That You Will Always Have A Smile On Your Face Whenever You Remember His Name ]
[ He Is Not Handing Out Blame ]
[ Nor Is He Hanging His Head In Shame ]

[ Everyone Dies @ Some Point ]
[ He Is Not Holding Anyone @ Gunpoint ]
[ He Is Not Asking You To Join ]

[ There Is Nothing To Assess ]
[ There Is No Issue To Process ]
[ Or Access ]

[ There Are No Secrets To Unlock ]
[ In A Safe Deposit Box ]

[ After He Has Moved On ]
[ He Hopes That The Memories You Have About Him Will Not Be Gone ]

[ Remember The Camping Trips That You Both Used To Take ]
[ Fishing @ Prairie Lake ]
[ Remember How He Taught You How To Bake ]
[ Cookies, Fudge & Your Wife’s Birthday Cake? ]

[ He Hopes That You Will Remember When ]
[ He Took You Skiing In Bend ]
[ & Then ]

[ He Wasn’t Lying ]
[ When He Told You To Try Flying ]

[ It Was Such A Freeing ]
[ Feeling ]

[ Being Up Above The Clouds ]
[ Away From The Crowds ]

[ He Told You Specifically Because He Hopes You Understand ]

[ S.Y.O.T.O.S. Everyone ]
[ Now Your Life Has Lost Its Fun ]
[ So It Has Been A Good Run ]
[ Now … You Are Done ]

~ Ka hopena ~

Mahalo nui loa
A hui hou kaua e kuu hoa

Na,
Lopaka DeVoe

~ Aloha ~

▪︎ •• •• ▪︎

(1061)▪︎[ Why Do You? … 12-23-2021 ]

[ Why Do You Say, “Yes” When You Really Mean “No” ]
[ Do You Drive Fast Down The Street ]
[ Even Though You Want To Go Slow? ]

[ That Does Not Make Any Sense @ All ]
[ Do You Mean To Open The Door? ]
[ Or Make A Walkway Through The Wall? ]

[ Some Say That It Is Always Perspective ]
[ That Matters ]
[ Are They Always Being That Destructive? ]
[ When Nothing Will Matter? ]

[ Some People Grapple With This Kind Of Thinking ]
[ Some People Stare @ You, When They Are Not Blinking ]

[ Your Type Of Thinking Does Not Always Fly ]
[ Even Though ]
[ That Is What Gets You By ]

[ What Gets You By, Isn’t Always Right ]
[ When Others Think That Is Wrong ]
[ Is It Okay To Fight? ]

[ Don’t Stand There Just To Make Noise ]
[ Isn’t There A Better Use Of Your Voice? ]

[ Sometimes You Should Think Twice ]
[ Because When You Remain Quiet ]
[ That Could Also Be Nice ]

~ Ka hopena ~

Mahalo nui loa
A hui hou kaua e kuu hoa

Na,
Lopaka DeVoe

~ Aloha ~

▪︎ •• •• ▪︎

(152)▪︎[ Footprints … 2026 ]

[ Is She Saying, “Hello” When We Should Be Saying, “Goodbye?” ]
[ She Might Be Wondering, “Why?” ]
[ Well, You Don’t Really Want To Lie ]

[ Because She Has Had That Done To Her Many Times Before ]
[ Maybe That Is Why You Have Felt The Last Couple Of Years ]
[ Her Mind Has Had One Of Her Feet ½ Way Out The Door ]

[ Is That Where She Likes To Start? ]
[ Or Depart? ]

[ You Wish That You Could Have Heard What Was Wrong ]
[ In The Last Song ]

[ But There Was A Word ]
[ That You Have Not Heard ]

[ In Years ]
[ Because The Meaning ]
[ Really Pierced Your Ears ]
[ Leaving Your Inner Voice Screaming ]

[ For The Truth ]
[ You First Heard It In The Chinese Restaurant ]
[ When You Both Were Sitting In A Booth ]

[ But You Don’t Really Know ]
[ How Many Years Ago ]

[ That She Had Said Such Things To You ]
[ That Was Back In The Days ]
[ When The Sky Was Always Crystal Blue ]
[ Like The Ocean Waves ]

[ Are @ The Beach ]
[ Where You Used To Walk Hand-in-Hand ]
[ When All Of Your Dreams Were In Reach ]
[ Back Then, In The Sand ]

[ But Now All Of Those Dreams Are Like Your Footprints Being Washed Away ]
[ Because In The Bigger Scheme Of Things ]
[ Dreams & Footprints In The Sand Were Never Meant To Stay ]

~ Ka hopena ~

Mahalo nui loa
A hui hou kaua e kuu hoa

Na,
Lopaka DeVoe

~ Aloha ~

▪︎ •• •• ▪︎

(120)▪︎[ It Is A Sad World … 2026 ]

[ In A World Full Of Rampant Non-Compliance ]
[ & Brash Defiance ]
[ How Can You Ever Hope For Any Slight Form Of Compliance? ]

[ Domestic Violence Is On The Rise ]
[ After The ‘VID’19 Forced Everyone To Shelter In Place Years Ago ]
[ This Should Not Come As A Surprise ]

[ Men Are Not The Only One’s To Lose Their Cool ]
[ Women Are Now Picking Up & Throwing A Chair Or Stool ]
[ Making Each Party Looking Like A Fool ]

[ Sister & Brother ]
[ Are Attacking Each Other ]
[ It Is Not Even Safe Being A Father Or Mother ]

[ Homeless Shelters Are Over Flowing ]
[ The Prices Of Gas & Food Does Not Seem To Be Slowing ]
[ Nobody Knows Where The Economy Is Going ]
[ There Is No Absolute Knowing ]

[ Or Foretelling The Future ]
[ The Earth Is Being Wrecked By Disasters ]
[ Brought On By Mother Nature ]

[ Mother Nature Seems To Want To Shake Us Off Of Her Earth ]
[ Maybe She Wants The World ]
[ To Go Through A Rebirth ]
[ She Gave Us Thousands Of Years To Prove Our Worth ]

[ Humans Have Failed ]
[ A Huge Part Of This Country’s Men Have Been Jailed ]

[ Living A Slow Death Locked Up In A Governmental Cage ]
[ Hundreds Of Men Full Of Rage ]

[ Forced To Live In The Same Small Space ]
[ Because They Committed Crimes ]
[ That Took Them Out Of The Human Race ]

[ Cars & Factories Are Putting A Huge Hole In The Ozone Layer ]
[ Thousands Of Home Owners Have Now Been Relegated To Live Out Their Days In Small Trailers ]
[ Humans Have Proven That We As A Whole Society Are Failures ]

[ The ‘VID’19 Caused So Many Business’s To Close ]
[ When These Owners Started Out This Was Not What They Chose ]

[ Then Poof ]
[ The Number Of Suicides Went Through The Roof ]
[ Just Look @ The Numbers If You Want Proof ]

[ The Poor Just Want Something To Eat ]
[ The Rich Are Fed By Nothing But Greed ]

[ There No Longer Is Such A Thing As “Middle Class” ]
[ Like There Used To Be In The Past ]

[ Violent Person -to- Person Crimes Went Up Like A Bottle Rocket ]
[ Just So Some People Could Put A Little More Money In Their Pocket ]

[ Many Generational Farms Are Shutting Down ]
[ Every Summer ]
[ Fire Wipes Out Another Town ]
[ When That Happens ]
[ Everyone Has The Tears Of A Sad Clown ]

~ Ka hopena ~

Mahalo nui loa
A hui hou kaua e kuu hoa

Na,
Lopaka DeVoe

~ Aloha ~

▪︎ •• •• ▪︎

(114)▪︎[ The Broken Memory … 2026 ]

[ If You Were To Throw Your (2) Cents Into The Ring ]
[ Would Anybody Take That & Do Anything? ]
[ On The Open Market How Much Would Your (2) Cents Bring? ]

[ A Nickel, Or Maybe A Dime? ]
[ It Sure Would Be A Crime ]
[ If Your (2) Cents Did Not @ Least Buy Someone’s Time ]

[ Deep Down, You Think You Are Kind Of Smart ]
[ & If Somebody Were To Tear You Apart ]
[ They Would @ Least Find That You Have A Big Heart ]

[ You Tried To Show Others A Good Example Of How To Live ]
[ You Tried To Write A Good Story To Give ]

[ Some Would Say That You Tried To Live In A Great Big Bubble ]
[ Surrounded By The Few People That You Love ]
[ You Wanted To Live Your Life Away From The Trouble ]

[ That Tries To Swallow Up Society ]
[ There Is Barely Any Happiness ]
[ Or Signs Of A Calm State Or City ]

[ Sometimes In Your Quest To Find Happiness You Have To Reach Deep Down Inside Yourself ]
[ You Can’t Rely On Someone Else ]

[ Life In Today’s Society Has Become A Kill Or Be Killed Environment ]
[ WOW, All Of The Years You Spent ]
[ To Make A Cent ]

[ All Of Those Days Spent In The Gym Preparing Your Body For Old Age ]
[ Was A Waste ]
[ & Only Your Clear Mind Keeps You From Flying Into A Full Lunatic Rage ]

[ Take All Of Your Supplements & Eat Well ]
[ Oh Swell ]
[ That Was Very Little Protection From Those That Said They Were Family ]
[ & Dragged Your Life Through Hell ]

[ True Family Are The Ones That You Choose Along The Way ]
[ But You Sure Have Been Fooled ]
[ By Those Honest Liars That Choose Not To Stay ]
[ & Run Away ]

[ Those Were The People That You Needed The Most ]
[ But When You Reached Out To Them ]
[ They Turned In To A Ghost ]

[ Never Returning Your Call ]
[ Watching From Afar ]
[ As You Fall ]
[ Then Choosing To Go Get Drunk, In Their Favorite Bar ]

[ Memories Of Your Past ]
[ Are Supposed To Last ]
[ Not Dissipate So Fast ]

[ But There Are Those That Wants Your Memory To Be Selective ]
[ Not Collective ]
[ They Want It Broken ]
[ It Is For Their Protection That You Don’t Be Reflective ]

~ Ka hopena ~

Mahalo nui loa
A hui hou kaua e kuu hoa

Na,
Lopaka DeVoe

~ Aloha ~

▪︎ •• •• ▪︎

(082)▪︎[ Please Do Not Share … 2026 ]

[ In The Last (5yrs) Life Has Seemed To Lost All Of Its Fun ]
[ Whenever You Go Outside You No Longer Seek Out The Warmth & Comfort Of The Sun ]
[ Or You Feel Like Bowing Your Head & Taking Off On A Dead Run ]

[ One Thing That You Still Love To Do Is Give ]
[ One Thing That You Are Losing ]
[ Is Your Will To Live ]
[ That Seems To Be Of Your Own Choosing ]
[ Since Everything Has Been Thrown In A Sieve ]

[ Whenever The Front Door Closes, You Feel Mentally Spent ]
[ You Have No Idea Where Thqe Zest For Life Went ]
[ You Try To Have A Good Day, But That Doesn’t Seem To Make A Dent ]

[ Lately You Wish That You Could Control Your Happiness By Simply Turning A Dial ]
[ Now You Can’t Even Seem To Hold A Smile ]
[ For Much Longer Than Awhile ]

[ You Feel Like You Are Aging Right Before Your Very Own Bloodshot Eyes ]
[ You Are Being Accused Of Telling Lies ]
[ But You Are Not ]
[ You Are Not Like Most Guys ]
[ Go Ahead & Polygraph You Right On The Spot ]

[ You Have No Money To Offer Another Woman ]
[ You Don’t Have The Good Looks Like The Average Man ]

[ You Feel Like Your Kind Is Headed For Extinction ]
[ Because Nothing About You Shines Of Distinction ]

[ In Your Mind, Chivalry Isn’t Dead ]
[ You Thought That Your Life Got A New Start ]
[ The Day You Were Wed ]
[ But Sometimes It Is Your Heart ]
[ That You Leave Tucked Under Your Pillows On The Bed ]

[ You Have Escaped Death Now More Than (9) Times ]
[ You Have Committed Zero Crimes ]
[ You Have Written Thousands Of Poetic Stories That Rhyme ]

[ You Felt That Over (23yrs) Ago You Found True Joy ]
[ When Your Wife Gave Birth To Your Only Child ]
[ A Boy ]
[ Raising Him Was Like Maneuvering A Canoe Down The River Nile ]

[ That Joy Did Not Last All That Long ]
[ You Cannot Pinpoint When Everything Started Going Wrong ]
[ Was The Father-Son Bond Ever That Strong? ]

[ There Is Something That You Do Know ]
[ Your Relationship Now ]
[ Sure Is One Big Shit Show ]

[ Things Have Happened Way In The Past That Still Affect You Now ]
[ You Want To Forgive & Forget ]
[ P.T.S.D. Really Affects Your Ability To Figure Out How ]
[ When You Try To Move In That Direction Your Feet Feel Like They Are In Concrete That’s Wet ]

[ Is This Something Like Your Big Cry For Help? ]
[ Well, If Life Was A Business That You Visited ]
[ It Would Get A Horrible Rating On Yelp ]

[ You Feel Like You Are (0-4) As Far As Parents Go ]
[ You Kind Of Feel The Names “Mom & Dad” Are Just Words, With Zero ]
[ Lasting Glow ]

[ Oh Hell ]
[ With Models Like Them ]
[ No Wonder Parenting Did Not Go So Well ]

[ You Know That People Are Going To Throw Their Really Wise (2cents) In ]
[ The Ring ]
[ Well Those People Can Take Their Bony Pointer Fingers & Sit & Spin ]
[ Tell Them It Won’t Sting ]
[ If They Don’t Even Begin ]

[ To Say Whatever Advice Or Words That They Want To Say ]
[ On Anyday ]
[ In Any Way ]

[ You Have A Very Small Circle Of Family That You’ve Made ]
[ There Is Not A Single Person In Your Circle That You Would Trade ]
[ Or Tell To Stand In The Shade ]

[ Each Person Brings So Many Things To Your Life ]
[ No One Has Ever Grabbed Your Throat & Threatened You With A Knife ]
[ The Sunshine Used To Shine On You Through The Smile Of Your Wife ]

[ Not So Much Anymore ]
[ Instead Of The Smile Being A Window To Her Soul ]
[ She Has Shut Down As Easy As It Is To Close A Door ]
[ & Your Marriage Has Tumbled Down A Rabbit Hole ]

[ You No Longer Feel Free ]
[ You Can No Longer See ]
[ How Good Things Could Be ]

[ You No Longer See The Bright Side Of The Street ]
[ Your Emotions Feel Beat ]

[ Down ]
[ You Now Have A Perpetual Frown ]
[ You Look Like You Have Shed The Tears Of A Sad Clown ]

[ Where Can You Hide ]
[ How Many Times Have You Felt That You Were Just Along For The Ride? ]
[ How Many Times Has Your Heart Died ]
[ & Unfortunately Been Revived? ]

[ Because You Don’t Want To Hurt Anyone ]
[ The Reasons That You Are Saying This To Each & Every Single One ]
[ Is Because You Love Them A Ton ]

[ To All Of Your Friends That You Are Sending This To ]
[ You Are Writing Them This Story Because You Did Not Know What Else You Could Do ]
[ If Any Of Them Have Thought That You Have Recently Seemed Distant ]
[ This Story Just Might Be A Small Clue ]

[ You Are Struggling ]
[ & It Is Depression & Fear That You Have Been Juggling ]
[ It Is Your Fear Of The Unknown Future That You Find Troubling ]

[ It Is Uncanny ]
[ How Many ]

[ Times The Years Have Passed You By ]
[ & How Many Issues Have You Failed To See Eye-to-Eye! ]
[ Whenever You See Your Friends ]
[ You Want To Say, “Hello”, Not “Goodbye” ]

~ Ka hopena ~

Mahalo nui loa
A hui hou kaua e kuu hoa

Na,
Lopaka DeVoe

~ Aloha ~

▪︎ •• ● •• ▪︎