10 ways I have been loved this ʻanahulu

1 

Every morning Līlīnoe sends her simmering skin to me 

And as she arrives 

I am reminded of the blessing of wai 

2

loads of laundry 

Washed 

folded 

And delivered 

3

“Do you need a hot shower” 

Offers from strangers

For comfort and warmth 

4 

“Have you eaten” 

“Are you drinking enough water”

The most romantic question I have ever been asked 

5 

Her hands 

Shoulder

Hips 

And forehead 

All the ways we curl into each other’s orbit 

6 

The simplicity of our effortless three part harmony 

Mele Hawai’i 

Mo’olelo 

And all the songs that comfort the soul 

7

Dozens of Kapu aloha kia’i 

Walking the pu’uhonua 

24 hours a day 

To keep us safe 

Smiles constantly unfolding from the corners of their face 

8

9

Ho’ohōkūkalani’s dance across the evening sky 

10

every sunrise and sunset 

In the malu of a mountain

That loves me to my Piko 

Uncle opening every morning in ceremony 

E ala e 

With the expanding tenor of his voice 

We are readied