Because of you, Lani
© Frances Cresantia Koya
29 June, 2017
White sea birds call us to silence
And the sea reaches down into the starless skies of Pulotu
Her large seamless arms throwing fish upwards into gentle rain
Grief covers us thick and heavy
In shades of black and purple
As a bird soars in the night sky
Singing sweetly
A song
That only the soul knows
But, I can hear you laughing
The lines on your face
Etched into memory
The soft grace of your hands
Strong black markings on your thighs
Tell the story of your genealogy
I see again
Thousands of children dancing in a large field
An ocean of shadows and light
Only you, could dream in such magnitude
Under the mango tree
We shared our plans in hushed tones, in whispers and giggles
For fear the winds would carry them
Away to listening ears
Notebooks and phrases by the beach
Your easy smile
Despite looming deadlines
I awake to Kerby the dog, snoring right by my window
And one dark night, an invisible bird’s kiss
The ancestors, you said
A blessing
At Piula, you soaked your tired limbs
Too many late nights, we agreed
Just so much work that still needs to be done in our small islands
So much left to do
So many conversations about Tautua
And the weight of Vā tapuia
Because of you,
We wove dreams into poems
Chants into songs
Into dance
Into fire
Feathers, red as sky
Flitter like silhouetted shadows hanging in fringes at the water’s edge
As you learned to chant the ancestors’ songs
We are only as strong as our connection to the earth beneath our feet, you said
But keep your head in the clouds
And never stop dreaming
Tears fall as the sharp edges and soft lines
Of your choreography
Stings my eyes
And centipedes pinch at my fingers
There’s a fire inside, Lani
Calling us to dance
Aue, Mafana hurts
So much without you
I wait for words to flow off the tongue
To drip in rhyme and meter or verse
To dance off the bark of trees
Like red feathers in the moonlight
Or fish that swim in shallows to greet me
Strong black markings on your thighs tell the stories of your genealogy
The soft grace of your hands
The lines on your face etched into memory
But, I can hear you laughing
As a bird soars in the night sky
Singing sweetly
A song
That only the soul knows
Grief covers us thick and heavy, Lani
In shades of black and purple
The sea reaches down into the starless skies of Pulotu
Her large seamless arms throwing fish upwards into gentle rain
And white sea birds call us to silence
White sea birds call us to silence
Because of you, Lani
Because of you.