Monday, April 9, 2012

Saint Sharon

A  L  O  H  A !

" I am human
 and let nothing
 human
 be alien
 to me.  "

Terence












 " All see
 and judge better
 in the affairs of others
 than in their own.  "

Terence 
















" She ne'er was
 really charming 
till she died.  "

Terence



)<[]>(

 It did not come natural to me,
being a child
of the suburbs,
but I inherited
a lot of Street
from my dad
& grandad
the taxi driver.
City Guys,
East Coast.


"Street smarts"
VS
"The easy-to-cheat
fool 
from the country"
means
the rube
will buy the 
Brooklyn Bridge
every time.

So I wanted
Street;
my inheritance.


Some grow up
on the street,
some fall to it,
some make their 
living there.

"I worked my whole life
to get away from 
this neighborhood-
and you moved
right back here."
Complained my Dad
with grudging
comprehension.


Moving to Hawaii,
I lived in rural Kona
(Big Island)
as readers of MY BOOK
know.


When I discovered
the real, vest-pocket
city
of Honolulu,
I was hooked.


I drove a taxi here
for several years
including
over night.

Hawaiian ghosts,
druggies,
all night spots,
Hono-Lu
has shown me 
her soul;
And enfolded
mine.

For years,
I was the public health
condom-HIV Testing-
'talk to me'
lady
for the working girls
down town.

That's when I met
Sharon Black.

Like me, she too
was an outreach worker:
a small, proud, profession
more specialized
than police.
Some say the Apostles
were the first
Outreach workers.

Some of us
are still 
recruited and sent
by the same
boss!

Sharon actually worked
for the police department!

Until
a sexual harassment
suit 
(hers, successful)
against a police
official
squelched that.


Sharon wasn't a
Pretty Girl.
She looked like
the People of the Streets.
Perhaps that's why
an executive above her
felt she was
easy prey.


Sharon was skinny
and wiry
and For Real.


On her own
she launched the 
Kau Kau Wagon
to feed the people 
of Honolulu's streets,
and ran it for years
with donations,
volunteers.

Every week
Sharon and her tiny army
fed hundreds of people.


In her 'spare time'
Sharon trained
her 3 Great Danes,
Mokka, Polo & Rambo,
and got them certified
as Therapy Dogs.

The four of them
were familiar faces
at nursing homes,
and hospitals
around our island.

The dogs have
 US Army ID Cards
[with their pictures]
as they worked often
at Tripler Army Medical Ctr.


Sharon and I talked
a few times,
but we were sisters,
sisters of the 
Street
and Her People.

Mokka, Polo & Rambo
stood on my feet
more than once.

Very Sweet, Gentle,
 Intelligent Dogs!


This week,
Sharon died 
of cancer
at age 52.


Her canine companions
will go to live on a ranch
on the Big Island
as she had hoped.


Now that she is safely
dead,
this Streety Gal

[who made the 
'Straight People'
uncomfortable
even as they
donated
to her good acts]
is honored.


Some deaths sting.
This one does me.

For whom the bell tolls?
It is most often
 our own mortality
that we mourn.

 "My mom always told me
 if you believe in something, fight for it," 
said Nicole Black, Sharon Black's daughter 
who is an U.S. Army specialist stationed in Fort Riley, Kansas. 
"She was always worried about how people felt. 
 She wanted people to feel good 
about themselves 
and not have to go hungry. "
from a news story HERE


Thanks for reading this,
and for honoring my friend
with your attention.


'Take away Peace - Leave a Comment'

Warmly, cloudia




23 comments:

the walking man said...

The richer the love,
the deeper the sting.
The deeper the sting,
the longer the memory.
The longer the memory, the longer your friend lives on in your being and heart.

Find your comfort in her lack of pain and in the being within you she left behind.

Peace

Dave King said...

Every blessing to you both.

Daryl said...

may she rest in peace

Charles Gramlich said...

I am sorry to hear of her death.

黄清华 Wong Ching Wah said...

Sad story

Anonymous said...

Cloudia -- So sorry your angel friend had to leave. Seems she covered a lot of ground (with her pups,) while she was here. Her spirit will float around those she helped. Will the wagon continue? Any place for donations to help the wagon? Hugs, Aloha, DrumMajor

The Weaver of Grass said...

So often the good die young Cloudia. Blessings on you all.

Teresa said...

What a wonderful person! Sorry for your loss and Honolulu's loss. May many rise up to carry on her legacy.

Bitch said...

For whom the bell tolls?

I am sorry!!, dear Cloudia!!

Jeannie said...

The good die young.

Nice tribute.

Myrna R. said...

Very nice, and well deserved tribute. I like knowing that there are such kind and hard working people in the world. Now that she's gone, hope she's replaced by many more like her.

Teuvo Vehkalahti said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
goatman said...

We each must meet the end. We hope only for remembrance by others to sustain our life in thought.

We think of the islands being all sweetness and light, never realizing that life goes on within us and without us everywhere.

Erik Donald France said...

Cloudia, a beautiful memoriam. Thank you and Sharon for this, and RIP to her and RI-Life to you~ salud ~

DeniseinVA said...

I am so sorry you lost your dear friend, she must have been a wonderful lady. It is the people we meet in life but enrich our own. I feel blessed having met you in this blogging world of ours, and still hope to meet you in Hawaii one day.

carmilevy said...

She made a difference in her life by casting light on the lives of others. Just like you. May her memory always be a blessing, and may her soul continue to inspire everyone who knew her. And folks like us, who didn't, but thanks to you feel we did.

I am so sorry for your loss.

magiceye said...

may her soul rest in peace..

you are an amazing human!
proud to know you!

namaste /\ from mumbai
aloha!

Cloudia said...

Thanks!!!

Anonymous said...

What an amazing woman... truly an angel.

This was a very moving tribute.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Oh you did her proud Cloudia, what a wonderful tribute to an 'Angel' on earth. Why, why, why does it seem to be the truly good people that die young. Maybe they just burn themselves out. So happy to hear that Mokko, Polo and Rambo are taken care of, they will be heartbroken also to lose their friend and mistress. Sad but at the same time beautiful story.
btw still EAGERLY awaiting arrival of book...

Elephant's Child said...

What a beautiful tribute. I am glad that you introduced her, and sad that most of us will never have known her in person. Thank you.

Lisa said...

When we visited Hawaii, we went to the Big Island, and of course was at Kona! :)

Mary DeNinno said...

I found your blog today when I was googling my dear friend, Sharon. What a lovely tribute to her. Thank you!!