Ideas to Inspire

I was coming out the ocean

Approaching the showers minding my own biz

When I met this kid

He must have been ’bout one to two

Walking but not talking yet

Completely naked

Skin soon to be brown

But as of now completely unexposed

So he looks at me and I look

Back

He stares intently at the red rubber ball in my hands as wide-eyed

And I’m like “oh, you want this ball?”

He immediately grabs it bounces it and giggles

He just tickled his own imagination

And I continue on with my biz

Shower up as if

To say hey. . .you go play with that ball for a bit. . .

He runs off his momma calls to him

“Makana, be careful”

And I’m thinking to myself Makana means ‘gift’

And I continue on with my biz

But this kid is captivating me

He’s expressing pure joy without words as he hurls the ball

With all his might

I keep him in my sight

As sand swishes off my feet

And now I’m double, no no triple rinsing my hair which I never

     really do but I’m doing all

That I can to stall

I just want him to experience the ball

By the fifth rinse it’s time for me to go

And I know it’s gonna be difficult for me to get that ball back

But he throws it to me

Appreciative of the time

And at this point I’m having a very hard time leaving

So I roll the ball back

He picks it up

Bounces it for a sec

Then checks it back to me

It now seems as if we’ve got game

So I stay

And we play

Back and forth

Back forth

Back and forth for a bit but

Then he stops,

Drops the ball

It rolls off

And he holds out his hand

I go get the ball

Then I go to give him five

But realize

That that’s not what he’s trying to communicate

He looks sad. . .

Or in pain, yeah that’s it it’s pain

‘Cause I now see a poki pricking into his finger

I barely even touch it but he reacts automatically

Shudders dramatically

And yet he still stands

With his hand out

He trusts me with this poki

So I’m thinking. . .

I’ve gotta do this quick otherwise

We’re both in deep s&*#

‘Cause his skin is like tissue

It’s ridiculously sensitive

And pokis *&^%$#@ hurt

And his eyes

Are peering into mine

With pure trust

You see

He hasn’t yet been

Sworn into a childhood

Of “don’t talk to strangers they’re dangerous villains out to get you”

He hasn’t had time

To learn how to ignore

The rest of his community as his day passes by

He hasn’t learned this societal bull

He’s simply being as his heart tells him to be

Trusting. . .of me

He’s open and standing

And I’m asking

His momma who’s five feet away. . .

“Is it okay?”

She smiles and nods yes

She gives me the go-ahead

And so I go

I take a deep breath

And in one swift move

I grab and pull

Simultaneously

His body twitches temporarily

But the worst is now over

He looks and smiles

And I nearly cry

This is the essence of existence

He picks up the ball as if

To play again

But our time has come to an end

And my new friend

Is wondering where I’m

Wandering to

As I walk away slowly saying

“Makana, you can have the ball. . .”

And for me,

It was a small price to pay

For a brief lesson of essence

–Kealoha, Kealoha