Where
lay before my eyes
The Grand
Canyon of the Pacific
Cradling
a silvery cascade of water
And
whose earth colors
Magically
arrange themselves layer by layer
Mystically
giving humans an awe
For
being just a speck in the universe
A
Gorge-ous Day on the Awa’awapulu Trail
To
be rewarded at the end
With
a vista no words can display
From
where we sat and trembled
Over
two thousand feet below us
The Na’Pali
cliffs meet the Na’Pali coastline
In
the vast of Nualolo and Awa’awapulu valleys underneath
The
white birds and the helicopters flew
Into
Alice’s Wonderland we stumbled
While
hiking on the Kalalau Trail
To
arrive at the Hanakapi’ai white-sand Beach
Known
to be gone in the winter
But
was there for us to wonder
I
was Alice who had shrunk
Among
the roots and ferns of giants
Half
expecting to see a white rabbit be late
I
was in a Disneyland make-believe
Of an
enchanted forest
The
scales had tipped for the flora
I
could wrap myself in leaves and get lost in bamboo clusters
Around
the bends the ocean showed
A
beautiful turquoise when struck by sunlight
A
giant web spread in the tall grass
Lending
us enthrallment and admiration
Flowers
were in bloom if I looked closely
Birds
of colors flew away if I walked too loudly
Water
seeped in my shoes if I crossed a stream
Without
removing them to carry in my hand
Flat
areas of helicopter landing we must pass
Warning
signs of falling rocks and rising water
And
hazardous cliffs we must mind
To see
Hanakapi’ai Falls drop ninety meters at our feet
The Big
Island welcomed us
To
its rocky shores and black-sand beaches
Where
giant turtles and colorful fishes swam
While
white waves clashed to crevices and cracks
Tree
roots seemed to grow on rocks
And
tree trunks seemed to bend at will
Black
crabs crawled away on wet rocks
And
children knee-deep in water played at the seawall
In
the evening we went Pele’s Way
She
beckoned us to come and chose us to see
The
spectaculars of her might and glory
She gave
us heat and a sight to behold
She
whispered a blessing to the brave souls
Who
crossed muddy tortuous paths in the rain
In
darkness to witness her creation
Of lava
flowing from the bowels of her depth
We
could not leave Big Island without seeing a sunset
From
Mauna Kea summit we wanted to be
For
some say it’s as close as heaven as one gets
The
road to Mauna Kea from Rainbow Falls was foggy
But
as we climbed higher the sky got clear
We
rested at Onizuka Center at nine thousand feet
Where
the silverswords grow on dry land
On
the stairway to heaven they glittered and shone
But
looked lonesome for being apart one by one
As
we ascended the rocky soil to the summit
The
air grew thin and the temperature dropped low
There
were no signs of familiar fauna and flora
A
feeling of being out of this world engulfed me
So
to this adventure I named it Mars
After
passing iron-rich red mounds of earth
An
awesome view of sky and telescopes emerged
At
the summit we felt a little woozy
Thus
we slowed our steps and breathed in more deeply
When
the sun came down and colors filled the sky
We
were struck with a splendor above the white clouds
And
from below them Mauna Loa poked through
Another
wonder of creation that will forever be etched in our minds
We
bid Big Island adieu and to Oahu we returned
The
day was awaiting with more to explore
An
easy hike through a bamboo forest we scored
At Nu’uanu
Pali where we wanted to be
Before
embarking on the steep ridgeline
My
shirt got sweaty so I took it off
While
being careful to not fall to the right
Which
opens to a beautiful view at a scary height
When
the trail ended I did not know
A
wonderful thing called Pali Puka waited for me right below
What
a surprise to see Chinaman’s Hat and the sea
Through
this hole in the rocks that was under me
We
lounged at Waimanalo Beach after the Puka Find
To
relax and enjoy until the rain said hi
The
last day found us on the Aiea Loop of Keaiwa Heiau
I
called this Roots Hike for the trail was full of exposed roots
The path
was broken up with fallen trees
But
it was dry and not muddy underfoot
We
stopped at its mid-point to enjoy
The scenic portion of H3 highway with mountains
around it
These
were the six days that I would not trade
For
comfort, sauna baths, or gold and myrrh
There
simply was not a single day
That
Hawaii didn’t poke me and say “Hey”
Even
as we were at the departing gate
Honolulu
gave us a parting gift of a rainbow ray
It
was such a sweet send-off we received
That
it gave us pause and made us ponder a return
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