English vs. Italian Sonnets

One type of poem you may have studied in school is the sonnet. Typically, they have 14 lines and the rhyme sequence differentiates an Italian sonnet from an English sonnet. The Italian sonnet line-rhymes are as follows: abbaabbacdcdcd.  While I prefer writing free verse, thought I’d try my hand at the English sonnet with a tribute to my dad.

To My Father

The writer tapped loathsome keys,

Like the painter at an easel,

Thawing, aching polar freeze,

                    Inspiring friends or the occasional weasel.   

              The man deliberately changed a life-

Painfully leaving more than gold--

Humorously topping strife,

Fearless as hell, instilling the bold.

Valiant knight pushing towards the task--

“It will come, not now but someday--

Search for the right words and ask--

Clear the mind--write a story--you have much to say.”

Prayers for strength of pen,

From Heaven’s gate—from man of men.

 -Eve Gaal

Do you write poetry? The verse sequence for the English sonnet is ababcdcdefefgg. 

Have you ever written a sonnet?

Victory Tour

Since there are no words in Hawaiian beginning with the letter V, I thought this would be a good time to remind those of you planning a trip to the islands to set aside a visit to the Pacific Visitor Center and The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial. Prior to boarding the Arizona you can watch a short documentary about the December 7th 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor where 1,177 crewmen lost their lives.

Sometimes, there are no words.

U is Ukulele

I used to dream of playing the ukulele. Must have been some Elvis movie that made me think it's better than the woodwind instrument I was plagued with in high school band.

A ukulele is a folk instrument resembling a small guitar with four strings. How hard could it be folks? Sure looks like fun. Have you ever played one?

T is for Tako

You get off the plane and immediately feel like eating some tacos. Right? Okay, but be careful because the word taco in Hawaiian is spelled Tako and is actually the word for octopus. Seriously. So, unless you love calamari, you might want to wait with the Mexican food.

You can thank me by reading Penniless Hearts or if you've already read it, then maybe you can tell one of your friends about how much fun you had reading it! Reading Penniless Hearts is like a first class trip to Hawaii without squiggly surprises on the menu.

S is....

Yes, I actually have this word in Penniless Hearts. It's in a dream sequence where Penny is sleeping on a beach and she's frowning at a group of people trying to feed her poi.

S is for Stinkface. It's that look on your face that shows you are unhappy about something.Slang of course,it's a facial expression used to show displeasure. Now go use stinkface in a sentence. Dare ya.

R is Fishy

Roi is a colorful fish from the grouper family, that obviously wasn't named by the locals because Hawaiians don't have much use for the letter R. (See previous post.)Territorial and invasive, the fish is becoming an annoying member of the undersea reefs around Hawaii.

P for Poi

I mention poi a lot in Penniless Hearts. Maybe I feel it's my civic duty as an author to gently warn my readers about it, kind of like a public service announcement or something. 

Anyway Poi is a paste made from pounding taro root and it is definitely an acquired taste. In fact, I've heard of people who use it for other applications, such as a substitute for wallpaper paste. If you ever find yourself at an authentic luau and see a beige vat of something that looks like three day old gruel, take a chance and see if you survive. Can't say I didn't warn you.

O is Delicious

Onoliscious-This is the slang word you use to describe something that is beyond delicious. When it's overly yummy, it's onoliscious. My friendly editor wondered about this word, but he probably wondered about a lot of things in my book. I say, keep'em guessing and the heck with spell-check. Hawaiian words will always be under-lined and they will need to be double-checked by the writer.

N is for Goose

Nene is the endangered, native Hawaiian goose. They are related to Canada geese but after 500,000 years they decided they never want to leave paradise.  Spending most of their time on Maui, they prefer local flights and actually don't like flying at all.  I don't blame them for wanting to stay on the islands. Do you?

(From Wikipedia)

Thank You for Visiting!! (M)

The word for Thank You is simply:
Mahalo

If you plan on going to Hawaii, make sure you learn this one word. 

The Rule of K

K is for Kapu. 
Certain island customs demand a legendary respect and reverence called a Kapu which translates to keep out, forbidden or taboo. Rules are rules and my main character Penny learns these things the hard way.

When visiting anywhere, remember the cliche: 'When in Rome....'

J is for Junk

This one is easy. J is for Junk (Another slang word) which describes stuff as lousy and rotten as in, 'Dat's a bunch of junk.' It could be referring to actual items or even poetry. Hopefully, not mine.

No junk around here. Just a first class blogging challenge from A to Z. Are we having fun, or what?

The Letter I

If you've been to a real Luau you know about the Imu and one of my characters describes the process in Penniless Hearts. It's usually used to roast a pig but they also use it for fish and vegetables. Typically they use taro leaves to wrap the food before it's put into the imu. Taro leaves are literally called Luau but the word luau has become known as a Hawaiian feast.

Basically, the definition of Imu is an underground pit used for cooking.

Do the Hula

H is for hula-- the native dances of the Hawaiian islands. Hula dancers sway their hips and move their hands in a rhythmic fashion to present visual stories and legends describing the history of the islands.

I'm going to Grind at the Luau.

G is for
Grind (slang)

It means:
To eat like you've never eaten before!  Heap up the delicious food on your plate and grind it down!

Colloquial E.

Eriding: If you say it out loud you'll notice this word means everything. Yup. All of it. (slang)

On a serious note:
E Komo Mai- means...'You're welcome'.

That Letter D.

Not too many Hawaiian words and phrases begin with the letter D, I figured the most important word is:

Dat: Yes, it means that.(slang)
Though this word might be pidgin-English, it also might be easier to say when you're on Hawaiian-time. Also, Portuguese explorers and Missionaries left their influence on linguistic expressions and pronunciation.