Take Me Home: Poems of Hawaii's HomelessA Poem by Christine the Bean Written in Hawaiian pidgin. Based on real stories, or those happening now. (Originally written on January 9, 2013) (Kamalani) Right dea, my fadda. Ho, he look so old,
yeah? But he not even
forty yet. Look at um, all gray
hair Jesus beard, Caterpillar eyebrow, Teeth like da kine
small wood chips You see in da fire. He no look like my
fadda, But still he wen
say-- Bebeh, get me one beer. Ho, no moa, I wen say. No, still get! Right dea, see um? I awready wen check! No moa!
Try look! He get up from da
exercise chair, No moa bed, dat’s
why, It make one “keee” sound, Like one horse dat
dying. He come up to da
cooler Open em up Dig around inside, Like his treasure
chest. Ho, no moa. See, Dad! Den come uncle, Walking up with one
12-pack Heineken, He say, Ho, I dunno how you can live out hea in da
bushes! F*****g hot out hea! Den he see me. Ho, Kama bebeh, You getting nice legs, ah? He try hug me, But I wen pull away
from um. I
no like him touch me, dat’s why. I
no like it when guys touch me. (The Panhandler) Eh, I li’ dolla. What, no moa? Okay, next time, ah? Eh, I li’ dolla. One quahter? Okay, tanks, bebeh. Ho, no need trow um
at me! Little b***h. Eh, I li’ dolla. Ho, no moa, yeah,
yeah. Everyday I wen see
you An you tell me da
same ting. How come you no get
like me, den? Na-na-na-na-na-na-na! Okay, see you
tomorrow, ah? Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh! Eh, I li’ dolla. What? You not gon give me? Ho, I not gon buy
drugs! Honest! Swear to God! Ho, dat’s what I
talking about. Tanks, yeah? God bless you. Eh, I li’ dolla. What, it get one
rip? No mattas, jus give
um. I can Scotch-tape
um. Tanks, brah. I gon fix um for
you! Promise! Eh, I li’ dolla. What choo wen say? You gon buy me
someting? Ho, no need, brah. You get dolla,
dough? You not gon give me? Okay, tanks, brah. You gon come back
out now, ah? Eh, I li’ dolla. What choo say? How come I always
stay out hea? I need money, dat’s
why! I no can find one
job, Dey turn me out befo
I even ask. I no get no resume. I no even know how
foa make um! Eh, don call me one
bum. You like me whack
you, You fakkah? Go, beat it! You f*****g haole. Ho, one MacDonald’s,
ah? What choo get me,
one Big Mac? Na-na-na-na-na-na-na! Ho, cheesebaggah. Tanks, brah. By
da way, you get dolla? (Verna) Eh, Kiko Boy! You one good boy! One good stinky boy! You need Body Mint! Ah, still love you,
doh. Smaht, dis dog, you
know! One night I stay
sleeping in da bushes, An I den I hear Kiko
barking real loud, Den I hear one
scream. I wen jump up and I
see Kiko wen attack one guy, His hand ALL bloody! Jus tink, if Kiko
wasn’t dere, That guy would have
attack me. I no can sleep at
night, choo know! Too stressed out
about everyting-- My kids, specially. My dauda’s in da
hospital. She eighteen an
she’s pregnant, But her boyfriend no
care about her! He wen run off
someweah. Nobody knows where
he is. Ho, I like kick his
a*s, doh! Seriously! Yeah, I know I gotta
pray, Ask God to help me
forgive him, Ask him to calm my
anger, But I still so
angry! F**k! Oh, sorry for da
language. I love my kids to
death, you know! My son Patrick, he’s
twenny-tree. He get one
two-yea-old boy awready. He one good kid, But he get one B***H
girlfriend. Ho, I no can stand
her! She no care about
noting! An she no respect me
at all! But my son still
tell me he loves her. So, what da hell. Let um be togeddah. I no can sleep at
night, choo know! I drink plenny
coffee during the day, But I still lie
awake all night, sweating. No, it works! Caffeine usually
help me sleep! I dunno why no can
anymoa. Ah, f**k. Oh, sorry, yeah? I know. I gotta
pray. But I no like be
cussing God out! You tink he gon like
dat? Oh, fine, den. I go pray now. Got noting fo do
anyways. Wea my Bible stay? Oh, right there. Try pass um. I found dis in da
trash, you know! I dunno why somebody
wen trow um away. Dis my favorite
verse right hea-- Psalm twenny-tree. I dunno what it
means, I can barely read
um, But it always hits
me right dea-- “Da Lord is my
shepherd, I shall not want.” F**k, I need buy one
Jesus book. Da Jesus Book. Oh, sorry. Sorry,
God. (Mahea) God, Why do you let him
touch me? Why do let him hit
me? Why? What I eva wen do? I know I not da bes
kid, I wen put toilet
pepah in Donny’s eah ‘Cuz he wooden
shuddup. But dat dozen mean
dat he can Take me in his
rice-bag arm Hold me so I cannot
move Pull down my pants And rub my private
paht like dat. If I try struggle, Kick him, Or bite his arm, He get real mad, Takes his belt from
his bedroom, An he sit on my legs
an whip me. My face feel all
stiff now From crying too
much. God, I no like cry
anymoa. I no like hurt anymoa. But why you make me
cry so much? Why you make me hurt
so much? Why you no care
about me? Nobody does! Why I even talk to
you! You no talk back! You no say noting! You no do ANYTING! F**K YOU, GOD! Right now I’m in the
dark, pain all over! I no can get up
without feeling it! I know you wen have
nails tru your hands But you were lucky
‘cuz you wen DIE aftawards. An only one time! Why I gotta live
with dis? You donno how I
feel! Nobody know how I
feel! I feel so dirty now. I no can face
nobody, My face is against
da wall. I no can look at da
TV. Deir faces torture
me. Dey all smiling,
holding their Frebreze an coffee mugs. F**k dem haoles! F**k everybody! I guess I gon cry
foa a while. Nobody can see me
anyways. Only you. I know you gon wipe
away every tear from my eye. I wish you could
hurry an do um now. Go! Kill me awready! Do it! Ho, I guess you not
gon do um den. I guess I’m gon go
sleep. I no can move
anyways. F**k, why I even
talk to you? (Shayna) You know da tent nex
to ours? Da yellow one wit
the flag sticking out of it? Yeah, dat one. Ugly, yeah? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ova dea get one
aunty, her son, an his girlfriend. Ho, da son and da
girl, dey fight all da time! But da aunty, she no
do nothing, you know! My mom an dad, dey
all mad cuz dey no can sleep at night. I no can sleep
either. De odda night dey
weren’t fighting doh. They were making
weird sounds, Like one animal! I wen ask my mom
what dat was, An she no like tell
me. Ho, grown-ups. Dey so weird
sometimes! I get tree braddas
an tree sistas. Only foa live wit
me, doh. I one aunty awready,
you know! I get two nephews! An dey only five
yeas youngah dan me! Ho, I tink! I too young to be
one aunty! I wish I could go
school. I see da odda kids
walking sometimes. They all look at me
all jealous. But I jealous of
dem. My mom always say, “You gotta stay home
an take care of Ani an Lika.” I know family’s moah
impoatant, An we got no house
anyways. Only each oddah. My mom wen say to me
da oddah day-- “You no can survive
in dis frickin’ world witout money. You lucky you still
one kid.” Das why I no like
grow up. I scared dat if I
do, I gon get dark
patches on my face an red eyes Like my mom get. Ho, dey fighting
again? Eh, aunty!
Shuddup! You shuddup, girl! She wen tell me. Ho, I hate dat lady! (Eddie) Everyday, Jus Boo and me, Togedda all da time, Neva apart, He always stay dea, On my lef side, Same side my heart
stay. Fifteen yeas, From puppy age, Now we two old futs, Growing old wit each
odda. Plenny pepo come
sometime. Dey wen ask me if I
want foa leaf da beach. I always say-- No tank you. Boo and me We stay happy hea. Cuz if I wen go I gotta leaf Boo
behind. Pepo no take dogs, But pepo take pepo. How dat make um pepo
den? So me an Boo, We gon live an die
togedda. Someday bot of us
gon stay in one eternal sleep By our kiawe tree. Dah torns gon guard
our resting place From dose pepo who
no unnastand What it means to be
tied by one unbreakabo rope to somebody. De only ting not foa
shua Is who gon go firs-- Boo or Eddie. © 2013 Christine the BeanAuthor's Note
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1 Review Added on April 17, 2013 Last Updated on April 19, 2013 Tags: homeless, Hawaii, homeless in Hawaii, Hawaiian pidgin, monologues, sexual abuse, Christine the Bean Author
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