Joe Balaz
Three Hawaiian Islands Pidgin Poems
FAST AND RAMBUNCTIOUS
It’s coming fast and rambunctious
wit dis timeclock in my head now
cause just like dat rabbit talking to Alice
da subconscious stay all frantic.
Look,
I’m moving like wun bullet,
wun rocket, wun laser,
zipping through da air
like my common sense no even care.
On wun rush to make da light
I stay driven by forces unseen
wit my foot flat on da pedal.
Da heart stay all buckaloose
running from da noose
dangled by wun guy wit wun boney face
wearing wun long black robe.
I gaddah get all da nuances down
before da curtain touches da floor
and all da sparks in my brain
decide to leave da theater.
How dis play going end
nobody really knows
so I might as well fill it up
wit as many different scenes
as dis attentive mind can conceive.
YOBO NUT WINDFALL
Sitting in first class
she got da job
as wun company executive
because her faddah
wuz da chairman of da major airline.
Departing
from New York City
she forced wun Korean passenger jet
taxiing on da tarmac
to return to da gate.
She den ordered
wun flight attendant off of da plane
because she wuz served
macadamia nuts in wun bag
instead of on wun plate.
She had to resign
in the media uproar
because she embarrassed
her family and her country
wit her selfish and arrogant behavior.
Before da news making tantrum
da flavorful nut
dat played wun part in da young woman’s demise
wuz unfamiliar to many South Koreans.
Dat wen really change dough
because suddenly in Seoul
sales are booming.
Tanks to da nutty princess
dere’s wun huge windfall
and now on da home front
macadamia nuts
are growing in popularity
and flying off of da shelves
like good old-fashioned kimchee.
SITTING DURING DA ANTHEM
Dose young people wuz pretty brave
at dere graduation ceremony
heading off into uncharted waters
just like dere ancestors did
wen dey wen find new islands
way out heah in da north Pacific.
Dey wen ride wun symbolic canoe
even as some people in da audience
taught dat dey wuz showing disrespect.
Da sails wen hold strong and steady dough
through da presentation of da Star-Spangled Banner.
It wuz significant to see questioning minds
willing to take wun stand
witout standing.
School administrators wen criticize dem latah
foa wat dey did
but da storm waves and da howling wind
no can diminish da resolve.
Dere alma mater’s mission up on da hill
is foa educate Hawaiians to excel in da world—
looks like some of dem
have been awakened to wun greater challenge.
Kanaka Maoli and courageous
linked to da stones of da land
dey are clearly satisfied
wit da choice at hand.
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Three Hawaiian Islands Pidgin Poems
FAST AND RAMBUNCTIOUS
It’s coming fast and rambunctious
wit dis timeclock in my head now
cause just like dat rabbit talking to Alice
da subconscious stay all frantic.
Look,
I’m moving like wun bullet,
wun rocket, wun laser,
zipping through da air
like my common sense no even care.
On wun rush to make da light
I stay driven by forces unseen
wit my foot flat on da pedal.
Da heart stay all buckaloose
running from da noose
dangled by wun guy wit wun boney face
wearing wun long black robe.
I gaddah get all da nuances down
before da curtain touches da floor
and all da sparks in my brain
decide to leave da theater.
How dis play going end
nobody really knows
so I might as well fill it up
wit as many different scenes
as dis attentive mind can conceive.
YOBO NUT WINDFALL
Sitting in first class
she got da job
as wun company executive
because her faddah
wuz da chairman of da major airline.
Departing
from New York City
she forced wun Korean passenger jet
taxiing on da tarmac
to return to da gate.
She den ordered
wun flight attendant off of da plane
because she wuz served
macadamia nuts in wun bag
instead of on wun plate.
She had to resign
in the media uproar
because she embarrassed
her family and her country
wit her selfish and arrogant behavior.
Before da news making tantrum
da flavorful nut
dat played wun part in da young woman’s demise
wuz unfamiliar to many South Koreans.
Dat wen really change dough
because suddenly in Seoul
sales are booming.
Tanks to da nutty princess
dere’s wun huge windfall
and now on da home front
macadamia nuts
are growing in popularity
and flying off of da shelves
like good old-fashioned kimchee.
SITTING DURING DA ANTHEM
Dose young people wuz pretty brave
at dere graduation ceremony
heading off into uncharted waters
just like dere ancestors did
wen dey wen find new islands
way out heah in da north Pacific.
Dey wen ride wun symbolic canoe
even as some people in da audience
taught dat dey wuz showing disrespect.
Da sails wen hold strong and steady dough
through da presentation of da Star-Spangled Banner.
It wuz significant to see questioning minds
willing to take wun stand
witout standing.
School administrators wen criticize dem latah
foa wat dey did
but da storm waves and da howling wind
no can diminish da resolve.
Dere alma mater’s mission up on da hill
is foa educate Hawaiians to excel in da world—
looks like some of dem
have been awakened to wun greater challenge.
Kanaka Maoli and courageous
linked to da stones of da land
dey are clearly satisfied
wit da choice at hand.
buckaloose Yobo Kanaka Maoli | To break out; to go for it; to go wild. Korean. Native Hawaiian. A people that have different political views, from being part of the United States to favoring sovereignty. |
posted by mark young at 11:25 AM
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