Between surf and concrete

Homesick

When I was younger I wore
my hair long; past my waist
it was and is the island way.
kanaka called me sandy girl
homies called me Izzy
ohana called me ku'uipo
to papa I am always Isabella.

I attended island style school,
as sure as the hours in the day
I am certain I was born of the tide.
I worked at a resort bar listening
to bullshit stories & recycled news.

Weekends; teaching shark baits
to surf, they came from places like
New York, Los Angeles, London &
other far away lands, with no sun.

If there was too much chop or lull
blown out, we kicked it at the park
homies played ball & rolled bones
while I mastered chess on a bench,
the dice never smiled for me,
my bills too hard earned to hustle.

Surrounded by graffiti castles
my tag still visible in swooping gray.
That's where I took my education;
between surf and concrete,
coconut trees and barstools.

Where a handsome drunk recited
Poe's "The Raven" in exchange for a hot meal
and a listening ear, where I fell in love
where innocence started and ended.

Author's Note

Kanaka - natives (Hawaiian)
Homies - general western slang for friends
Ohana - family
Ku'uipo - sweetheart
Shark baits - island/surf slang for non surfers
Chop/lull/blown out - flat unridable waves
Rolled bones - playing dice
Poe's The Raven - refers to the poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.

Reviews

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

I'm blown away by this. Your imagery puts us in the scene-"surrounded by graffiti castles". "Between surf and concrete...where innocence started and ended".And there grew a remarkable life. So freakin' awesome Izzy!

[Island Hippy]

Oh mahalo much my friend :) what lovely words to leave.

[Gee]

Sounds idyllic to me. Got to say one of my favourite reads in a while on here.
Superb piece Izzy

[Island Hippy]

Mahalo Gee, a lovely compliment.

[Lorry]

Your words make me wonder of all the names I am also called and the person I am to those people. Some of them are less rude than other names I am given though :)
I am defo shark bait. I can almost hear you laugh as I tell you I can't swim, but my excuse is the water where I am from is the North Sea, which just up a little way, changes to the Arctic ocean, which has the clue in the title, it's like minus stupid numbers in there, hence why I don't swim :)
And we have no sun either :)

[Island Hippy]

Aloha, oh Nemo I know quite a few people who can't swim or don't. I've also taught a few people to swim :) I can definitely understand I wouldn't be keen on water that cold. My husband went on a safari in Scotland a few years ago with a friend who now lives in Glasgow. He said the waves are amazing and the line ups are empty but he had never surfed colder water in his life.

Ps. My sister had some very colorful names for me when we kids...we are all someone's #%*{€!! :) Mahalo for the drop in my friend.

[Lorry]

Ha, A Glasgow safari is what we call a night on the town :)

[Island Hippy]

Oh ..... hahaha :)

[Coyote Poetry]

One day. I will come to the islands. I love the sea. I liked the honest tone in the words. We change with life. Life teaches us darkness but we must seek the light.
"Where a handsome drunk recited
Poe's "The Raven" in exchange for a hot meal
and a listening ear, where I fell in love
where innocence started and ended."
I did like the above lines. We can learn and grow when we listen. Thank you dear Poet for sharing the outstanding poetry.
Coyote

[Island Hippy]

Mahalo John for your kind words. I hope you make it the islands one day :)

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome dear Poet. I hope.

[ReedWrite]

Very nice!
Love the raw energy and gritty honest feel of your piece. It pulls the reader in, and lets them become part of those memories for a brief moment. Nicely done!

[Island Hippy]

Aloha ReedWrite, I appreciate your comment very much. Mahalo for your time.

[BBP]

No Garage Tippin in this story? lol

I like it, it was very raw and gritty. MY kinda style.

[Island Hippy]

Lol lol! You have to live on the big island for that kind of action, lol.
Mahalo for the kolohe comment.

[BBP]

REally? I would think it would be more small island style, since theres not much else to do lol

[Island Hippy]

Lol... it was mostly about the surf when I was growing up...when you got on your bike and pedalled for an hour while holding your board because no one had a car...lol

[BBP]

I'd die for that life!!! Ours is freeways n chaos lol

[duff]

This is an awesome journey Izzy. Vivid imagery that pairs with your story beautifully. It has that gritty urban feel to it as well.

"Surrounded by graffiti castles"
Great line and great work.

[Island Hippy]

Aloha duff, I really appreciate your comment and your time. Mahalo my friend.

[duff]

You're very welcome:)

[William Liston]

This is a nice mixture between an autobiography and a poem. It was poetically descriptive but still gave an interesting overview of your life. I like how the first stanza sets the 'memory lane' vibe with it's simple yet meaningful details and the rest of the poem expands on that, offering more vivid and creative examples of how you used to live. I especially enjoyed the imagery in the second-to-last stanza in how it paints a picture, letting the reader imagine the scenery. The final stanza resolved the poem perfectly, but, one minor critque: Poe's poem was called "The Raven" (without the 's' after Raven). So the second line of the final stanza should read: "Poe's Raven in exchange ..."
Other than that, I didn't notice any mistakes. Well done.

- William Liston

[Island Hippy]

Aloha William, I enjoyed reading your review. Mahalo for taking the time to read and share your thoughts. I am very grateful for the edit as well. Mahalo again. Izzy

[John Alexander McFadyen]

A well told tale which provides a flash of the island culture. Very readable.

[Island Hippy]

Mahalo John, I appreciate your comment very much.

[Paul Bell]

No university scholarship for that.
But pure life teaching.
No money in the world can buy that.

[Island Hippy]

'Ae, Mahalo :) the best teacher!