"The king of Hawaii has returned to his throne, and the state of Hawaii 
           is under a state of arrest by a federal marshal to ensure the interests of 
           the USA." 
                        – Kingdom of Hawai’i, Nation, official statement on the occasion 
                           of the takeover of ‘Iolani Palace, August 2008.

Yesterday, I held my head high
when you formed your secret society
of sugar cane planters & missionaries
& discussed our overthrow/assassination.
I cleaned up the ammunition &
the fractured ocean, jagged island after
your slash & burn plantations then
military target practice leveled
the little we had left, killing us, slowly.
I watched as hotels & tourists splattered
more land than even our native beauties--
'imua, lehua, pikake, silversword.
One night, I saw the shadow of
the past, as real as the horse it rides.
I climbed the volcano of the ancestors—
long dead but still in pain—to gather
orchids & ferns so green they seem unreal.
Today, imua. Tomorrow, I will rush the palace
gates, letting my people in & locking the doors,
a gesture you can’t possibly ignore.