Imagine being bathed
....in the perfumes of lavender
....as the breeze carries
....the scents to your senses.
The Maui sun
....warms the neck
....despite the altitude’s crispness.
Sitting on an Adirondack chair
....amidst acres of lavender,
....one peers out to the sea
....miles below
....as songbirds serenade.
Imagine being in paradise.
Comments: When I first visited Ali’i Chang’s Kula Lavender Farm (AKL) slightly over five years ago, I enjoyed the vistas, lack of crowds, and the new knowledge about lavender that I garnered through the visit. Since that time AKL has become a well-known tourist site for those looking for a nontraditional tourist activity. Today, the crowds have increased, because the secret is out, and the manicured grounds have more than doubled. The vistas remain as gorgeous as before. Ali’i has built a reputation as an innovative horticulturist that makes wise use of land and environment. The day I wrote the poem, I found a quiet place and simply savored the moments.
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Grass and Stone
The tall grass waves in the breezes
....barely revealing the cross
....marking a life now passed.
Whose bones lie beneath
....this unattended grave?
The gray stone symbolizes
....someone once loved.
The grass tells a story
....of someone long forgotten
Time fads and grass grows.
Comments: One morning I was walking to a small neighborhood Hawaiian market and passed a small graveyard. Some of the graves were well-tended while others were overgrown. Hence, the poem evolved.
