Ideas to Inspire

Before time, everytime my sista like be the boss

of the food. We stay shopping in Mizuno Superette

and my madda pull the Oreos off the shelf

and my sista already saying, Mommy,

can be the boss of the Oreos?

The worse was when she was the boss

of the sunflower seeds.

She give me and my other sistas

one seed at a time.

We no could eat the meat.

Us had to put um in one pile on one Kleenex

Then, when we wen’ take all the meat

out of the shells and our lips stay all cho-cho,

she give us the seeds one at a time,

’cause my sista, she the boss

of the sunflower seeds.

One time she was the boss

of the Raisinets.

Us was riding  in the back

of my granpa’s Bronco down Kaunakakai wharf.

There she was, passing us one

Raisinet at a time.

My mouth was all watery

’cause I like eat um all one time, eh?

So I wen’ tell her, Gimme that bag.

And I wen’ grab um.

She said, I’ng tell mommy.

And I said, Go you bird killa; tell mommy.

She wen’ let go the bag.

And I wen’ start eating

the Raisinets all one time.

But when I wen’ look at her,

I felt kinda bad cause I wen’ call her bird killa.

She was boss of the parakeet too, eh,

and she suppose to cover the cage every night.

But one time, she wen’ forget.

When us wake up, the bugga was on its back,

legs in the air all stiff.

The bugga was cold.

And I guess the thin that made me feel bad

was I neva think calling her bird killa

would make her feel so bad

that she let go the bag Raisinets.

But I neva give her back the bag.

I figga, ehh. . .

I ain’t going suffer

eating one Raisinet at a time.

Then beg her for one mo

and I mean one mo

fricken candy.

–Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Growing Up Local