[Poetry] Two Poems by Mike Sluchinski

i prayed for the haole in me (or haole prayers)

climbing diamond head

half a day lookout past barb wire

pele’s canoes beached in the

flat water down there down

looking out past the mountains

to the blue seas past pele’s hips and

i prayed for the haole in me

rock bottom hidden by icing sugar sand

under the clear

waves that pele’s canoes roamed

did she dance here

at makapu’u

her rock cousins

bounced my shoulder

and she kissed it red and

bruised while my board drifted

in her foam breath and

i prayed for the haole in me

that time my young time

and pineapple and coconut

seasons coming and going

like people at banana jims

wooden shaved ice stand

and

i prayed for the haole in me

and swaying to iz and hearing

about the duke

going north to the

altars there and waters there

and kneeling and hands

deep in sand and

salt water tears             

running riptides

never wanted to ever leave

i prayed for the haole in me

near ollie’s point (or belly riders lament)

we sing so deep waves dark

and I want to lie and story tell odysseus

I was brave and alone and the reef I met with

a face so brave and no doubt waved and looked

with a face so brave but it's a lie and

and had a friend there the rivermouth

and sharky old black water

deep and dark blue going down and

down and blindfolded duck dive

black streaks and kelp caresses

bottom wise and top set

and a slop day no surf

ragged and charred waves

and belly riding

trailer park drive bys here and there

and the boat damned from the daybreak

wicked and sloppy and blown out

witchy sharky paddle evil dark waters

and pools drifting down

and under fro and to the south side

current pushed and shoved and woe

the kind to paddle in place and

nowhere not a move not a wave

and arms worn red rash

tasting salt crumbs

old boat sat and hard boards kneeling

and a back worn wet rolls and turn back to

land ho and all the rest for a brown bottle

and rice and beans by the bowl

splashes lime and pepper sauce

streaky and lazy offshore wind

time to spin south

another break

open seas and drifting ronin

point break another day for

ollie’s point

Mike Sluchinski writes mountainside, high in the Saskatchewan alps. He believes in getting back in the canoe, bailing if swamped, and the second coming. Most of his work runs ekphrastic and stream of consciousness based on his own experiences. He gratefully acknowledges the Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Foundation for their support of the arts. Very gratefully published by Kelp Journal & The Wave, ‘the fib review’, Eternal Haunted Summer, Syncopation Lit. Journal, Ocean Poetry Anthology 2024, South Florida Poetry Journal (SOFLOPOJO), Freefall, Viewless Wings and more coming!