BEYOND DA NINTH ISLAND
Plumeria Ikeda
wuz wun rambler and wun gambler.
Rather den just go Vegas
she kept on flying east
until she wen end up landing
by wun huge lake
dat looked as big as wun ocean.
In da city wit da Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
she suddenly found herself in Cleveland.
Wun old friend dat lived dere
wen recommend da downtown casino.
Plumeria wuz wun trailblazer
so she wen figure she go try someting new
to expand her expertise.
Her eclectic tastes
wuz just as unusual as her first name.
Da plumeria wuz wun flower
dat wuz most fragrant at night
in order to lure moths to pollinate it.
Da blossom had no nectar
and it simply fooled all da dumb bugs.
Plumeria’s name sure wen fit her
wen she became wun player.
She had wun unrelenting focus
and wun very deceptive poker face.
Looks like da trip is paying off
cause Plumeria just walked out da door
wit eighty thousand extra dollahs.
Like wun new age pioneer
appearing out of da Pacific
she wen discover dat da Rust Belt
wuz just as profitable as da desert.
Plumeria Ikeda is coming on da scene
and taking off like wun rocket.
Her talent is purely on da up and up.
Looks like Atlantic City
going be next.
Aftah dat
she just might be flying ovah anadah ocean.
No be surprised
to see her eyes
checking out all da new opportunities
in Monte Carlo.
* The Ninth Island Slang in Hawaii for Las Vegas, Nevada.
SHINE ON
If you wuz as radiant as da sun
some people would complain
dat you wuzn’t bright enough.
Hard to please
hard to appreciate
hard to see
all da many rays
streaming through da darkness.
An ancient Hawaiian
wouldn’t even question
da phenomenon of wun solar disc
moving across da sky.
Warmed by its presence
gratitude would surely abound.
Nowadays cynics criticize
each charged particle
emanating from da surface.
Knowledge is equated to light
but sometimes many
can stumble in da blackness.
So go ahead and beam
simultaneously
wit wun inner energy
dat going burst out
onto da waiting scene.
Humble
like wun small candle
and yet
as powerful as da raging sun.