Rainy Day Waikiki

A  L  O  H  A  !

This could be Waikiki 

a hundred years ago: 

marshy, dreamy, wet 

- a place between-

between the mountains, 

the plain, and the reef. 

 The Hawaiians cultivated

 fish ponds here,

The Chinese  cultivated

 rice and ducks, 

The Americans raised hotels

 on the old 

Royal Compounds

Walter Dillingham 

had the only dredging machine in the islands.

His society friends gave him the contract

to dredge the Ala Wai Canal,

dry up the little farms,

make firm ground to

BUILD!

When it rains,

 the canal runs brown 

with runoff

 from the Ko`olau Mountains

 so near.

Of course,

 Waikiki is still low-lying

 and flood-prone 

as this marriage of nature

 & technology

 shows.

All the tall buildings 

and hotels

operate sump pumps

like the great Cruise Ships

 they are!

When air masses move 

over thousands of miles of 

open ocean,

 they grow cocky & confident.

They forgot what rising up

 and over mountains

 can do to them,

 forming clouds, adding velocity

to their winds.

This isn't your continental weather-

Sea Storms Rage

but the islands

have not sunk

yet!

Though this guy did look a bit

 water-logged.

 He inquired about an audition

 with Daryl

of On The m104  Fame.

I told him

 that only New York City canines

qualified.

But at Pau Hana time

("after work / happy hour") 

the sun often falls below 

the cloud cover

smiles on the sea

and shoots the land

some pretty golden grins

too,

 promising a better day

tomorrow. . . 

. . . Here in Magical Waikiki!

   >< } } ( ° >

Thank for visiting!

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in comments-

                 Warmly, cloudia