Summary

A poem I wrote while watching the video of the Manoa Falls hike.

Chlorophyll exhales.
Sticky mud clings to my cleats,
rinsed clean in a creek.
Drip, drip, crunch
My footsteps and the leaf tips keep time.
Water runs like silk between boulders.

Delight! The full belly sound of one round stone knocking against another.

Bamboo sways, hollow and rustling above
squelchy, slick mud.
A bird sings, but I don't recognize it—I'm bound to continental wildlife.

These rock noises! 
Flat shale thickly slapping together during a descent.

I recognize money trees in the wild,
liberated from the planter in my bedroom

The waterfall is tall and impressive, yes,
and I know this trail is named for the falls.
But I would rename it for every breathing leaf.

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msfilas · June 14, 2023 01:54

This is gorgeous. "These rock noises!" made me chuckle as I imagined that exact sound.
I'm especially keen on "I recognize money trees in the wild,/
liberated from the planter in my bedroom."
Great share.

dogtrax+hi · June 17, 2023 11:46

"I would rename it for every breathing leaf"
Great ending to a poem with beautiful descriptive language.
Kevin

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Hawai`i Writing Project 2023 Write Across America: Hawai`i

First stop in the 2023 Write Across America Marathon.

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