Joe Balaz
ONE OF MANY GLIMPSES
It’s so random
wat da invisible tentacles in your head
wrap around
in dose kine of moments.
Paul wuz suddenly wun kid
at da old Termite Palace
and he wuz dere foa da very first time
to watch wun football game
between Kaimuki and Kamehameha.
It wuz in da days
wen high school matchups on da gridiron
wuz da biggest sports shows in town.
UH wuzn’t as popular back den
cause dey played small colleges
like Humboldt State and Linfield.
Paul knew dat
cause his big braddah took him
to some of dose games too
at dat same run-down stadium.
Twelve years his senior
he wuz turning Paul’s eyes on
to da good fun of it all.
Just two braddahs
sitting on da wooden benches
enjoying da pigskin competition.
Aftah Paul got da phone call
dat nobody wants to get
dat cherished scene
wuz one of many glimpses
dat wen pass through his head
along wit wun new one—
Big braddah
wen just jump into da air
and he wen catch wun Hail Mary
in da end zone
in da last second of da game.
Paul wen somehow manage to smile
in da silent privacy of tears.
Glossary
Invalid's Hope
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Joe Balaz writes in Hawaiian Islands Pidgin (Hawai'i Creole English) and in American English. He edited Ho'omanoa: An Anthology of Contemporary Hawaiian Literature.
Balaz is an avid supporter of Hawaiian Islands Pidgin writing in the expanding context of World Literature. He presently lives in Cleveland, Ohio.
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ONE OF MANY GLIMPSES
It’s so random
wat da invisible tentacles in your head
wrap around
in dose kine of moments.
Paul wuz suddenly wun kid
at da old Termite Palace
and he wuz dere foa da very first time
to watch wun football game
between Kaimuki and Kamehameha.
It wuz in da days
wen high school matchups on da gridiron
wuz da biggest sports shows in town.
UH wuzn’t as popular back den
cause dey played small colleges
like Humboldt State and Linfield.
Paul knew dat
cause his big braddah took him
to some of dose games too
at dat same run-down stadium.
Twelve years his senior
he wuz turning Paul’s eyes on
to da good fun of it all.
Just two braddahs
sitting on da wooden benches
enjoying da pigskin competition.
Aftah Paul got da phone call
dat nobody wants to get
dat cherished scene
wuz one of many glimpses
dat wen pass through his head
along wit wun new one—
Big braddah
wen just jump into da air
and he wen catch wun Hail Mary
in da end zone
in da last second of da game.
Paul wen somehow manage to smile
in da silent privacy of tears.
Glossary
Kaimuki Kamehameha Termite Palace UH | Public high school in Hawaii. Private high school in Hawaii. Slang name for the old Honolulu Stadium that used to stand in Hawaii. University of Hawaii. |
Invalid's Hope
Joe Balaz writes in Hawaiian Islands Pidgin (Hawai'i Creole English) and in American English. He edited Ho'omanoa: An Anthology of Contemporary Hawaiian Literature.
Balaz is an avid supporter of Hawaiian Islands Pidgin writing in the expanding context of World Literature. He presently lives in Cleveland, Ohio.