Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 2, 1 February 1986 — Poet's Corner [ARTICLE]

Poet's Corner

Mauna 'Ala The Kaahumanu ladies, in their black laee mu'umu'us Wearing leis made of ehieken feathers, dyed ye//oa>, And a boy in a blue jacket, embroidered with the words, "HAWAIIAN INDEPENDENCE, " and I, are among those Who haue gathered on Mauna 'Ala to mourn the passing of Hawaiian kings and queens, princes and princesses. We bring !eis of ilima, maile and lehua; We bring prayers whieh all begin, "OKeAkua," and end in a wail; We bring tears whieh are strung on long, siluerp threads, And /ay these in heaps upon the cold, concrete slabs. An old woman weeps as she chants: "Stars are buried here, eaeh wrapped in a pellow wing of the 'o'o. " _ puanani Burgess