Hawaii Forgiveness Project
Poetry of Forgiveness Awards
Winning Entries, 2012
presented at
International Forgiveness Day in Hawai'i
August 5, 2012
State Capitol, Honolulu
Gold Medal:
KOHOI'A
CHOICE NO CHOICE
Aunty Fay Uyeda
CHANGE ALL DA TIME LIKE UM OR NOT NO CAN CHOOSE EVEN YOUR BRAIN STAY SHRINKIN
AUWE CHECK OUT YOUR SKIN, GETTING WRINKLY YEAH?
BUT, TRY TINKWHICH WAY YOU STAY LIKE CHANGE WHEN YOU HOLDIN ONE HATE LONG TIME! DAS CHOICE
HUG NO HUG, KISS NO KISS .STUPID ,UP TO YOU ,OF COURSE!
FOR SHUAH DAS ONE CHOICE, BRAH.
H IN H OUTNOT HAHA!!! DAS BREATH IN,BREATH OUT
FEEL DA RIDUM OF OLALIFE, BRAH , LIFE.
BEST NO DO UM AT DA SAME TIME.
BUT FO REAL IF YOU STAY ON ONE GRUDGE KICKDAS YOUR CHOICE.
BUT TRY TINK. MAYBE DA PERSON YOU STAY HOLD DA GRUDGE AGAINST,
DEY NOT SUFFERIN.
WHY? DEY NO EVEN KNOW YOU STAY SO MAD.
WHY? CHOICE BRAH,CHOICE.
MAYBE DEY WEN CHOOSE TO MOVE ON.
BUT YOU STAY HUHU CUZ YOU NEVAH.
BRADDAH SAY, EH, YOU STAY MAD AT ME?
WHAT YOU SAY?
NAH, I NOT MAD. WHO SAID?
DAS ONE HEAVY DUTY CHOICE YOU WHEN CHOOSE.
YOU SAY, EH, NOBODY GOIN EVEN KNOW I STAY REAL MAD. ONY I KNOW I NEVAH FORGIVE UM. SO LET UM SUFFAH.
BUT HOW CAN? HE DON EVEN NO YOU HOLDIN DA GRUDGE.
DA GRUDGE IS LIKE ONE CANCER GOIN GROW
NEED TO TAKE KEA OF UM NOW BEFOAH TOO LATE
YOU CAN TALK TO ALL KINE GUYS BUT ALL DA TALK LEAD UP TO ONE PLACE
KOHOI'A FORGIVENESS IS YOUR CHOICE.
REMEMBAH WHEN TINGS WAS COOL WIT DA BRADDAH YOU MAD AT?
REMEMBAH ALL DA GOOD FUN STUFF YOU USE TO DO?
REMEMBAH DA KINE PROMISES YOU FOLKS WEN MAKE KID TIME?
TRY LOOK IN DA MIRROR PLENNY WEN CHANGE YA?
LIKE YOUR FACE OR BODY? NO CHOICE
I STAY TALKING ABOUT DA INSIDE--
HUNA NO'E AU -DA HIDDEN STUFF
TRY LOOK INSIDE..INSIDE YOUR HOT(HEART)
YOU SAY "I NO CAN CHANGE!"
GUESS WHAT? KOHOI'A -YOUR CHOICE.
NO STAY WAIT TOO LONG, CUZ MAYBE ONE DAY..TOO LATE! NO CHOICE.
Kulia i ka lokahi ike 'ola. Strive for harmony in all things.
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Silver Medal:
Only This
Suzanne Marinelli
Love is all we have to see us through this life and into infinite beyond.
So love, dear Robert, with all you have, your heart, your will, your thoughts, your entire mind. Love those who love you, and those who cannot.
Send kindness to those would torment you, and those who already have.
Hold fast in midnight’s aching hours when all you know is despair, when you feel you are most alone.
Know this will never be so.
For you are not,
you will not be,
you never can be,
all by yourself, alone.
Love those you have harmed, all of them, from the deepest place in your soul,
and those who hate you too, those who wait for your death.
I promise you this, my friend: Death will not harm you.
Treasure your kin for what they’ve given, and also for what they have taken away.
And your father, dear Robert, especially him. Love him fully and well; love him the way it will save you.
For I promise you this, as well – it is love, and not death, that will take you with it,
wherever you go,
whenever you go,
forever.
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*
Bronze Medal:
Three Empty Plates
Steve Rosenthal
We used to go out for pancakes on Filmore Street.
Yamato would use up all the napkins
making numerical maps of the universe.
"Universe insidie see? Insidie."
Multiplying the moment by .12345678987654321,
translating the mundane into incoherent pidgin,
his system was beyond doubt.
A gypsy in an immobile land,
he's lived under bridges and had been
the youngest licensed fortune teller in Tokyo.
Now he eats pancakes and somehow finds treasures on the street.
"Past, future, no nothing doesn't matter, see? only now;
I, you me. No nothing doesn't matter.
I born Dog year Dog month Dog day Dog hour
that's why I you me
just friends is important ok?"
"I Buddhist pancakie see? Just serve the people
Nothing doesn't matter that's why I no money fine see?
Buddha way lazy way, like Jesus, wear sandals looka hippie,
lazy way see? Lay on beach -- watch sand fall through fingers,
forgivness is lazy way.
I understand, no nothing, know nothing, see?
I only emptiness; must go 24th street, catchie bus,
I don't know, maybe important meeting."
I don't know either, but am left to contemplate
some oddly used napkins and
three empty plates.
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Special Recognition:
Forgiveness: The key to a peaceful society
Syeda Rumana Mehdi
Today, man has lost his way,
His past has burnt up in flames of anguish, the present is rotten and the future continues to decay,
He has blown all the candles of guidance and now wanders aimlessly in the dark,
The illuminated flame of faith in his heart is now a mere spark,
Be it Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya or Syria,
Everywhere he looks, there is only gloom, terror or hysteria,
Why are we trapped in the tornado of grief?
Why can’t our sea of troubles find a shore of relief?
The answer is simple: we lack tolerance for each other,
Our greed and selfishness has increased so much that we are ready to kill our own sisters and brothers,
The first candle of guidance is tolerance,
It calls out for patience and coherence,
Alas, we are not patient anymore,
As a result, the universal death rate continues to toll,
The second candle of guidance is forgiving others,
This means having mercy on one’s parents, friends, sisters and brothers,
Together, forgiveness and tolerance will indicate the correct path,
If we do not practice them, how will the voluminous clouds of sorrow depart?
Forgiveness is indeed the key to a peaceful society,
It is the emblemmished symbol of magnanimity and piety,
Oh discriminating world! Open the Quran, the Bible and the ancient text,
It is clearly stated that only with patience and forgiveness social injustice will come to a rest,
Otherwise, the Earth will become a battlefield,
Where instead of food crops, weapons will be the yield,
So lets join hands and seek repentence from God,
And learn to resolve issues through forgiveness rather than the use of sword!
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credits
© copyright 2012, Hawai'i Forgiveness Project
and by each individual artist
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