In the silence, of this afternoon, they arrive, ready to feed children who wait in nest high above. Their high whistle dancing, pierces the soundscape These mejiros--yellow with sharp white eyes, Comb through hibiscus bush Finding a meal Hidden within LikeΒ Β parrotfish Munching through coral reef,
I sit under tree listening,
Abruptly The seashells to my mind Fill with shrill sounds Of mothers scolding monsters, A quickening-- Their white eyes dart like fearful squid flying through brushy undercurrents. Underneath, The small lion cat Stalks the Hungry sounds In the bush
the Hungry looking for Hungry
Mejiros fill the landscape here, they are active feeders and singers of this tropical landscape. I played with metaphors from the land and from the sea--reflecting on Hawaiians who match something from the earth and something from the sea.