Monday, September 1, 2025

Bon Dance Season Closes

 A L O H A  From

H O N O L U L U

During  BON dance season
on Summer nights
we dance with our loved ones who
have passed. 
During BON season -
they are near. There are many stories
of dead loved one's being glimpsed among the dancers, or making themselves known
in other ways. 




Beneath soft lanterns’ 
amber glow,  
Ancient steps
In circles flow.  

Around the tower’s 
wooden frame,  
Musicians breath
Old songs into flame.  

The shamisen
A gentle cry,  
The taiko’s pulse 
Touching the sky.





Neighbors weave
 In twilight’s dance,  
Sacred across
The timeless expanse.  

Hands and feet in
Tradition's grace,  
Echoing stories
Time can’t erase.  

Here in aloha’s
Warm embrace,  
Cultures blend 
As hearts enlace.  




Each year the bon dance 
Calls us home  
Living thread joined 
To family spirits who roam.




Binding past
To present Here 
With love that lingers,
Bright and clear.
Cloudia Charters 





As you pile up the Summers, there probably are more and more of your friends and family who have gone to join the ancestors. 




There is some comfort, 
and more than a tint 
of immortality, in 
dancing with them. 




Maybe they will 
catch our eye 
momentarily in the frenzy. 
Maybe it's just some 
resemblance or living memory 
that we see in the 
colored light - maybe not. . .





I felt it shelter
to speak to you.
Emily Dickinson



𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶


 Links

My Bon Dancing Video