Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Waikiki Winter






























"The face of the enemy frightens me only when I see how much it resembles mine." - Stanislaw J. Lec



"What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly - that is the first law of nature." - Voltaire



"They buried the hatchet, but in a shallow, well-marked grave."
- Dorothy Walworth




Winter has come to Waikiki. . .
The nights are cooling, and it is time to bring out the quilts after months of sleeping only under a thin, rayon pareau (sarong). There is snow atop the Big Island's Maunakea and Miss Kitty's fur is regal & thick once again. Visitors may only feel the relative mildness but we who live here, Kitty & I, we know the changes of this `Aina (land/country) in our bones and in our noses. Crystal sharp trade winds bear the scent of Alaska, of thousands of open ocean miles, and vast empires of sky. They pause to pick up smells from yellow ginger, hidden mosses, and tropical soil, as they push themselves over the green Ko`olau mountains that backdrop our toy city like a misty Asian scroll painting. The character of the clouds tells me it's winter. Is it their shape, activity & colour? Or is it their sense of humor as they tumble mumble and disassemble like Circe de Soliel acrobats above us? The Hawaiians of old found ready messages and wisdom in the clouds. Knowing the Kanaka (Hawaiian person) love of fun and word-play, perhaps certain funny-clouds rained punchlines that made the Kahuna chuckle all day. . . their cirrus & cumulus descendants are not telling; Not even me, their cousin Cloudia. . .

. . . Take a moment. Just a moment to stop & take a moment. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Another. Exhale ALL the way. Repeat. Notice the un-noticed sounds surrounding you. Are you cool? Warm? Secretly happy? The clouds won't tell ;-) Just let the thought-express rattle on without you for a while, who cares? YOU don't! Just for a moment. . . Breathe and Be. The moment of calm clarity that arises is yours to keep. Will you?
A L O H A! cloudia







12 comments:

Maria Verivaki said...

so you get some winter too! the weather is cooling here too, but the days are still very warm!

Anonymous said...

nice sketch. like your language whimsy.

nonizamboni said...

Thanks for the time out! Lovely post about the changing seasons and thought-provoking quotes as well...enjoyed your post about Philly and sports. But I know too that they live on in the crack of the bat that's how my memories are too, tucked inside something so 'ordinary.' I love the Italian district in Philadelphia and would visit to buy familial treats I couldn't find in PA Dutch country where we lived.
Have a great day--glad you voted!

mielikki said...

I love the changing of the seasons, and live in a place where they are all overtly noticeable. Nice description of oncoming winter, it sounds wonderful there!

Roan said...

I don't think of Hawaii as having winter. Our temp dropped to 27 last night. Love the quotes. BJ

RiverPoet said...

That's one beautiful kitty!

I'm glad you're enjoying the Hawaii winter, mild as it is. I remember growing up in SE Texas and wearing shorts on Christmas. I love the change of seasons here in the northeast, but I sometimes miss that mild weather!

Peace - D

Anonymous said...

glad i found this blog. will be back

debra said...

daylight savings time has ended here, so not only is it getting colder, it's dark!

Anonymous said...

Lovely post! How COLD does it get there?

Travis Erwin said...

I'll start feeling sorry for you when you have to scrape ice before heading off to work. I've already done that once this year.

Reb said...

Ah, sounds like heaven. I could tolerate your winters much more easily than my own.

Cloudia said...

Aloha & thank you ALL for visiting!
Yes, winter is relative. It can get frigid atop the high mountains. 60s in the uplands; Upper 60's in the Honolulu night FEELS chilly to us!