"The first poet to perform at a Hawai`i governor's inauguration." --KITV4 News
Video of Kealoha's New Day poem performed at Governor Neil Abercrombie and Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz's inauguration can be seen on the KITV website:
click on picture above to see video of the full poem
Here is the written text:
New Day
we sit here... in darkness
dawn will soon emerge before us
but for now, only silence
words need not be spoken
our eyes soak in the shadows of night
the cold rests upon our skin
as we breath in the stillness
this world is motionless
our bodies are silhouettes in the blanketing moon beams
we gaze up to the infinite sky
fix our eyes
on hōkūpa`a, the north star
it keeps us grounded and steadfast
rooted in our tradition
we are home
the ocean is our soundtrack
the salt air smells of peace
we look to the east
to see
a glow of blue sapphire over the horizon
humming with electricity
the sky is changing
but change comes easy when it comes sustainably
the color, it embraces our gazes gently
with profound understanding
it is rich with wisdom
an accumulation of light growing in the east
traveling past New York and D.C.
past Michigan and California
let us harness the warmth of your experiences
engage our imagination
with an image of our potential
let us never forget how far we’ve come or where we are going
we align our sights with the horizon
and as the blue expands to the collage of cumulus clouds hovering above
it leaves a thin band of fiery red burning like the underside of coals
we close our eyes and take a mental snapshot so we can remember how
the brush strokes of blue and red blend together in bipartisan harmony
the sky is changing
but change comes easy when it’s in the form of unity and equality
a noio kōhā bird swoops overhead
it is youthful with its power
yet elegant in its design
its effortless flight is a roadmap for our societal evolution
every movement learned through a lifetime of rigorous education
its twitch muscles vibrate with the purest of energy
its heartbeat pulses with economic efficiency
its near weightless feathers are flawless in their technology
it calls out to the dawn
as the horizon blazes a crisp yellow crescendo
and the neon clouds scatter pink patterns across the sky like staccato jazz notes for visionaries
the sky is changing
but change comes easy when it understands the intricacies of education, the economy, and technology
palm trees now quiver as the first trade winds set in
the `āina stirs to life
the anticipation intensifies
and as the sky becomes light
hōkūle`a, the final remaining star in our sight, still shines
above us
guides us
as our beacon
we wrap our wishes into its last visible sparkles:
let us fulfill the promises we made to our future generations
let us build from the blueprint of our united nation
let us come together as one
and so we stand, hand in hand, open hearts to the rising sun
for a new day in Hawai`i nei has just begun
© 2010 Kealoha
www.KealohaPoetry.com
dawn will soon emerge before us
but for now, only silence
words need not be spoken
our eyes soak in the shadows of night
the cold rests upon our skin
as we breath in the stillness
this world is motionless
our bodies are silhouettes in the blanketing moon beams
we gaze up to the infinite sky
fix our eyes
on hōkūpa`a, the north star
it keeps us grounded and steadfast
rooted in our tradition
we are home
the ocean is our soundtrack
the salt air smells of peace
we look to the east
to see
a glow of blue sapphire over the horizon
humming with electricity
the sky is changing
but change comes easy when it comes sustainably
the color, it embraces our gazes gently
with profound understanding
it is rich with wisdom
an accumulation of light growing in the east
traveling past New York and D.C.
past Michigan and California
let us harness the warmth of your experiences
engage our imagination
with an image of our potential
let us never forget how far we’ve come or where we are going
we align our sights with the horizon
and as the blue expands to the collage of cumulus clouds hovering above
it leaves a thin band of fiery red burning like the underside of coals
we close our eyes and take a mental snapshot so we can remember how
the brush strokes of blue and red blend together in bipartisan harmony
the sky is changing
but change comes easy when it’s in the form of unity and equality
a noio kōhā bird swoops overhead
it is youthful with its power
yet elegant in its design
its effortless flight is a roadmap for our societal evolution
every movement learned through a lifetime of rigorous education
its twitch muscles vibrate with the purest of energy
its heartbeat pulses with economic efficiency
its near weightless feathers are flawless in their technology
it calls out to the dawn
as the horizon blazes a crisp yellow crescendo
and the neon clouds scatter pink patterns across the sky like staccato jazz notes for visionaries
the sky is changing
but change comes easy when it understands the intricacies of education, the economy, and technology
palm trees now quiver as the first trade winds set in
the `āina stirs to life
the anticipation intensifies
and as the sky becomes light
hōkūle`a, the final remaining star in our sight, still shines
above us
guides us
as our beacon
we wrap our wishes into its last visible sparkles:
let us fulfill the promises we made to our future generations
let us build from the blueprint of our united nation
let us come together as one
and so we stand, hand in hand, open hearts to the rising sun
for a new day in Hawai`i nei has just begun
© 2010 Kealoha
www.KealohaPoetry.com
