His ghost lurks
beyond the plumb of perception
in mystery
and gloom,
choosing only some.
Go not alone.
Moonless nights on the Pali
you may hear
the faint chanting
the sound of the drums
between hinged peaks
where petroglyphs point
to his secret tomb.
Kamehameha, The Great One
born in the year of Halley’s comet
a formidable foe
even in death.
And behold his ghost oozing
through an ancient door
bewitching waterfalls
linking the past and present,
a great conquest
where hundreds are massacred, driven over the Pali cliffs.
a fierce warrior and
his army
looming in the mist.
A great and terrible army
howling for blood.
Kamehameha
revealed in the eye
of a venomous black widow
her web
dripping
with prey.
Published by
C. S. De Dona
Author, Poet, Photographer, domestic violence survivor, and naturalized immigrant, Cornelia is currently an Arts and Letters member of The Southwest Florida Branch of The National League Of American Pen Women.
Cornelia lived in Kaneohe, Hawaii, for thirty-six years. Also, seven years in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York. She now resides in North Fort Myers, Florida.
Her poems and photography are published in print, online, and in Rain Bird, a literary and art journal of the University of Hawaii's Windward Community College (2008-2013).
In 2013, Cornelia received Rain Bird's Kolokolea Poetry Prize for her poem, "Speaking French."
In 2016, her chapbook "Hawaiian Time," entered in the National League of American Pen Women's Vinnie Ream contest, was awarded third place in their inaugural multi-discipline category.
View all posts by C. S. De Dona
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