Wahi Pana Poem

Pupukea: Shark’s Cove

As we trek towards Shark’s Cove

the chaos of the city starts to melt away,

and I start to feel free from the

manacles of my mind.

The green trees of Mililani Town,

and the curves of Haleiwa Bridge

let me know we’re almost there.

I feel my heart grow.

Atop Shark’s Cove I hear her

call me to come in and visit.

We make our way down the rusty jagged a’a,

protecting the cove from the weak of heart.

It’s cold, and I have chicken skin,

but I feel warm inside because she envelopes me with

a warm hug, caressing my skin as

I glide through the water.

Her children, the yellow tang and striped kihikihi, greet me

as I slowly make my way into her heart.

The yellow, blues, and purples of the reef mesmerize me,

while the dark ominous caves, hiding the sleeping beast, are left to the brave.

The blue uhu and his many cousins

crunch and munch on the Pupukea’s dining reef.

Then, I hear my own stomach grumble and

the musubi in the cooler pull me out of the water and back on shore.