Old Poems Written Years Ago

      More Letters From Paradise
      Old Poems Written Years Ago
               Ice Man
     " When were refrigerators invented,?                  she asked.
        Suddenly you remember
            the ice box.
        Every time you had to empty
           the drip pan
          it was always
          over-flowing.
      Water usually spilled
 in the middle of the kitchen floor
         on the way to the
             sink
   "And what about the ice man?"
           she asked.
     We would stand around
           waiting
     as he took the steel tongs
      carried the ice block
        to the house.
     Now was our chance
    to see if there were
      any ice chips
     he couldn't use.

            Henry Ford

     Nearly everyone by now        
  has heard how Henry Ford said
     you could have every
         color
    car you wanted
   as long as it was
        black
   But did you know
     the paint
 contained soybean oil?
    Many farmers
    soon discovered
 not to park their cars
   anywhere near a
       cow
 or it would lick off
     all the
     paint

     
                Black
        He was big and he was
              Black
       when he walked into the
            restaurant
            in Georgia
           that morning
         The waitress  said
      "What will you have sir?"            
            Nobody
        even looked up
       from their plates
    "What will you have sir?"
    "I will have a big plate
         of freedom
        and respect"

     Aloha
    Grant

Things Happening in Hawaii

     More Letters From Paradise
     Things Happening in Hawaii

Our mayor has seemed to have spent 1.5 million for some "experts" from New York to tell us what needs to be done to our Ala Moana Beach Park. For any of you who have visited Honolulu, it is the very long park alongside the drive into Waikiki. It is called the "People's Park", by the locals.  It has a beautiful beach, tennis courts, lawn bowling court and a pavilion for events such as the annual Greek and Scottish festivals. Local people come to swim, picnic etc.

I attended a meeting with some 150 others who heard the mayor and his "experts." The mayor wants to build a restaurant. We are strongly opposed, people come here to picnic. These "experts" may have done wonders with Battery Park in N,Y., but their ideas do not relate to Hawaii.

We know what needs to be done. Fix and clean up the restrooms. And that wouldn't cost 1.5 million. We gave them an earful. We will just have to wait and see what happens.

In other news. There is quite some opposition to the building of the 30 meter telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea,on the Big Island of Hawaii. When finished it is supposed to be the largest telescope in the world. But I have also read that there is supposed to be a 31 meter telescope being built in Chile. Some protesters with the Hawaiian flag have halted the start of construction. They claim the mountain is sacred. Some students from the  University of Hawaii have walked out in protest. Our governor has called for a thirty day "cooling off" period. I should also note that there are already several telescopes up there. I saw them myself (altitude 13,400 ft.) The very best answer to the problem came from the master navigator with the Polynesian Voyaging Society, as quoted in the local paper:  "As a Hawaiian, I recognize I am a descendant of some of the best naked-eye astronomers the world has known. It is culturally consistent to advocate for Hawaiian participation in a field of science that continues to enable that tradition and a field in which we ought to lead."
I think the telescope will be built, there is just so much money already invested in the project, as well as cultural preservation studies performed.  Many Hawaiians agree.

And now on a lighter note. Crews are topping the tops of the coconut tree along the Ala Wai Canal. A coconut tree hitting your head could ruin your day. A cop I was talking to as he was merely writing tickets on cars, for not having removed them as requested, said " More people are killed by falling coconuts than die from shark bites."

      Aloha
      Grant

Springtime in Honolulu

      More Letters From Paradise
       Springtime in Honolulu

Yes, we have Spring here in Hawaii too. The signs of change are many.  First, the Humpback Whales depart for Alaska with their calves, a distance of 3,000 miles. And, so no more whale watching after that. Also, another long distance visitor leaving is the Golden Plover bird. This small bird flies 3,000 miles non-stop, in three days to the mainland. And they always return to the same places in Hawaii.

Then there are the "SnowBirds" from the mainland, Canada, and Australia. Many of these visitors have come to escape the weather back home, and live here for the winter months. Many rent the same condos year after year, or own their own lodgings. So like the whales and the Golden Plover, they too leave Hawaii.

There are other signs of Spring. The plumeria trees are in bloom with their wonderful fragrance. And the Monkey Pod tree makes its debut. Monkey Pod wood is a mixture of both dark and light wood, and when turned on a lathe, produces beautiful bowls and trays. But, the tree at this time of year drops pods on the sidewalks. The pods range in size from four to six inches long, and are sticky. They remind me of those sticky dates you buy at Christmas. Nasty stuff on your shoes. Teena's uncle Pat, (who was Hawaiian) said that they used to coat their feet with the sap and walk around on tin cans. He never said how they got the sticky stuff off of their feet. I don't know what it is used for, but I think  the Hawaiians found some use for it. As for me, I avoid monkey pods on the sidewalks like the plague.

And here as elsewhere, baseball season begins. I wrote on my blog earlier, a short story called "Opening Day." It's pretty funny. Check it out.

And, at last I am reminded of a "Burma Shave" sign from a long ago series of roadside signs, "Spring has sprung, the grass has riz, where last year's careless driver is."

       Aloha
       Grant