(173)▪︎[ You’re Gone Now … 2•23•2020 ]

[ Oh Brother Brent, Brother Brent ]
[ Now Who Am I Supposed To Call To Vent? ]

[ Besides My Son & My Wife ]
[ You Were One Of The Biggest, Most Important & Loved
Parts Of My Life ]
[ Now My Heart, Feels Like It’s Been Cut Out, With A Knife ]

[ Then One Night, When You Couldn’t Hang On ]
[ One Swipe Of Death’s Hand ]
[ & You Were Gone ]

[ Now I Sit & Wonder, About Where The Time Went ]
[ Who Is Responsible For The Bad Times That Were Sent? ]
[ It Wasn’t Superman ]
[ Or Clark Kent ]

[ What Ever Happened, I’ll Never Know ]
[ Why Did You, Have To Go? ]
[ I’ll Never Know ]
[ Why Do I Feel, So Low? ]
[ This, I Know ]

[ I Feel, For Your Family Members ]
[ They Will Always Have Memories Of You, That They Will
Remember ]

[ I Know, That I Do ]
[ I Will Always Remember The Days, When We Came Out
To North Carolina ]
[ & Met You ]

[ I Had To Wait ]
[ All Of Those Years ]
[ Until 1998 ]

[ We Were Apart For Over 30 Years, But Not Of Our Doing ]
[ Growing Up Knowing You Were Out There, But We
Could Not Meet ]
[ Was Quite Grueling ]

[ I Remember What You Asked When I First Called You In N.C. ]
[ ( WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME? ) ]
[ ( DO YOU NEED A KIDNEY? ) ]

[ I Thought That I Could Not Get That Comment From No Other ]
[ I Said To You ]
[ ( WELL, I AM CALLING YOU BECAUSE I THINK YOU ARE MY
BROTHER ) ]

[ I Didn’t Know What To Expect ]
[ But You Did Not Scoff & Show Disrespect ]

[ It Is Hard To Talk About You In The Past Tense ]
[ Especially When None Of This Makes Sense ]

[ We Hardly Scratched The Surface Of Brotherhood ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

(174)▪︎[ The Ones That We’ve Got … 2•23•2020 ]

[ Here’s To The Ones That We’ve Got ]
[ So Long To The Ones That Are Not ]

[ Friends Sometimes Come & Go ]
[ Is Family The Only Ones That We Know ]

[ Family Is Not Only Through Blood ]
[ Sometimes So Called Family Have Veins Full Of Mud ]

[ They Don’t Always Have Your Best Interests @ Heart ]
[ Sometimes That Family Doesn’t Play The Part ]

[ Feel Blessed Because Of Those You Have Around You ]
[ Be Thankful If You Have One Good Friend ]
[ Be Ecstatic If You Have Two ]

[ Build An Environment Based On Love ]
[ Make It So It Fits You Like A Tight Glove ]

[ Show As Much Appreciation As Possible ]
[ Help Making Problems Plausible ]

[ Do Unto Others As You Want Done Onto You In Your Life ]
[ Treat All With Respect ]
[ Especially Your Children & Wife ]

[ Always Cherish ]
[ Never Embarrass ]

[ Because How Would That Feel ]
[ If You Found Out That Those Around You Were Not Real ]

[ Real In The Form Of Honest, Courteous & Sincere ]
[ Surround Yourself With Ones That Want You Near ]
[ But Always Make It Clear ]
[ If They’re Not Positive & Have Your Best Interests @ Heart ]
[ They’re Out Of Here ]

~ Ka hopena ~

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

[ Are There Misunderstandings? … 12•14•2020 ]

[ Sometimes When We Need To Practice What We Preach ]
[ We Need To Learn What We Are Talking About, Before 
     We Attempt To Teach ]

[ Sometimes When I Show What I’ve Learned ]
[ You Should Give Me The Respect That I’ve Earned ]

[ For Me To Be Able To See The Other Side Of The Fence ]
[ & To Keep Me From Getting Tense ]
[ The Whole Idea That Is Put In Front Of Me, Must Make
     Sense ]

[ As The Days Go By More & More ]
[ I Am Not Knowing If You Understand All Of My 
     Metaphors ]

[ During The Times That You May Be A Concrete Thinker ]
[ I Might Have On, My Creative Blinker ]

[ & You Will Be As Uncomfortable Taking On My Stress ]
[ As Much As I Would Look Bad Wearing Your Dress ]

[ We Each Have Our Own Cross To Bear ]
[ Just Like We Each Have Our Own Clothes To Wear ]
[ But Even As Much As We Try To Care ]
[ There Are So Many Stressers In Each Others Lives ]
[ That We Are Unaware ]

[ Of ]
[ That We Don’t Love ]
[ That Grip Us Like A Tight Glove ]

[ But What We Do Share ]
[ Is A Love For Each Other ]
[ That We Can’t Compare ]
[ Or That We Can’t & Don’t Find Anywhere ]

[ Else ]
[ Except From Within Ourselves ]

[ The Love & Understanding That We Do Not Give Any 
     Other Person In Our Life ]
[ Is The Love That We Have ]
[ & Have Gained ]
[ Because, For Almost 25 Years Now, We Have Been 
     Husband & Wife ]

[ @ That Very Second That I Said ( I DO! ) ]
[ I Knew ]
[ From That Point Forth ]
[ That The Only Thing That Mattered To Me For The Rest 
     Of My Life … Was You! ]

~ 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 ]

(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 ]

(194)▪︎[ When It Matters … 2•28•2020 ]

[ Today, Was Yesterday’s Tomorrow ]
[ No Matter, How You Look @ It ]
[ You Never Have Time, To Borrow ]

[ Sometimes It Seems, Like There Is Never Enough Time In
A Day ]
[ That’s Why Some People, Try To Find A Way ]

[ To Extend It, By An Hour Or Two ]
[ But, That May Not Be Able To Affect You ]

[ You Have To Make The Most, Out Of The Time You’ve Got ]
[ & For Some ]
[ That’s Not ]
[ Going To Be Alot ]
[ So, If You’re Numb ]
[ From Being, In Deep Thought ]

[ Snap Out Of It ]
[ Before Life Takes Your Spirit ]
[ Away, Bit By Bit ]

[ & Makes It Disappear ]
[ In The Clear ]
[ Clean Mirror ]

[ Because, There’s No Deflecting ]
[ What That Mirror, Is Reflecting ]

[ When Trying To Change The Reflection ]
[ Don’t Chase After Perfection ]

[ You’ll Tire Of The Amount Of Steps On Life’s Treadmill
That You’ll Have To Take ]
[ To Even Shake ‘N Bake ]
[ After The Horrible Earthquake ]

[ That You’ve Caused Through Change ]
[ Even Though You Really Tried To Stay Within Range ]

[ Of Those Who Matter ]

[ Change Can Be Good Or It Can Be Bad ]
[ Would It Make Someone Mad ]
[ Knowing What You Are Changing ]
[ Makes Others Sad? ]

[ Or Would You Forge Ahead, With Your Plan ]
[ Not Caring, What Any Woman Or Man ]

[ Would Lose ]
[ So It Really Does Matter The Path You Choose ]

~ 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 ]

(154)▪︎[ Give Myself A Talk … 2•17•2020 ]

[ I Tell You This ]
[ I’ll Tell You No Lie ]
[ That When Death Gave You It’s Kiss ]
[ I Had To Try ]
[ To Keep A Dry ]
[ Eye ]

[ You Were My Last String ]
[ Connecting Me To This Messed Up Family Thing ]
[ Now, Who Will Bring ]

[ Such Laughter ]
[ Only During Our Phone Calls ]
[ Not After ]

[ We’d Punch Each Other Silly With Our Put-Downs ]
[ We’d Take Turns Being The Clown ]
[ You Were Supposed To Take Me To Our Home Island ]
[ & Show Me The Town ]

[ All Of Our Dreams Of Growing Old Together ]
[ Has Changed As Fast As The Oregon Weather ]

[ All Because Of This I Ask ]
[ Why Did You Not Complete The Simple Task ]
[ Of Putting On Your Mask ]
[ During The Night After Last ]

[ Maybe You Are Now Sending Me A Message, In Your Own Way ]
[ If I Want To Wake To See Another Day ]

[ I Must Fight ]
[ To Make Things Right ]
[ By Making Sure That MY Mask Must Be On Tight ]
[ Night After Night ]

[ So Everytime I Balk ]
[ I Should Give Myself A Good Talk ]

~ 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 ]