THE LEGEND OF NAUPAKA

Have you ever heard the legend of naupaka?
It is one of Hawaii's most famous legend built around naupaka, a shrub found in the mountains or near the beach. The flower’s unique appearance (it resembles a half-flower, with petals missing) caused early Hawaiians to believe it was the incarnation of an ancient native separated from her lover.In ancient times, there was a beautiful Hawaiian princess known as Naupaka. One day, the villagers noticed that Naupaka looked very sad. They told her parents, who approached Naupaka and asked her what was troubling her."I have fallen in love with a man named Kaui," replied the princess. "But Kaui is not of noble birth—he is a commoner." According to Hawaiian tradition, it was strictly forbidden for members of royalty to marry people from the common ranks. Distressed, Naupaka and Kaui traveled long and far, seeking a solution to their dilemma. They climbed up a mountain to see a kahuna who was staying at a heiau (temple). But, he had no clear answer for the young lovers. "There is nothing I can do," he told them, "but you should pray. Pray at this heiau."So they did. And as they prayed, rain began to fall. Their hearts torn by sorrow, Naupaka and Kaui embraced for a final time. Then Naupaka took a flower from her ear and tore it in half, giving one half to Kaui. "The gods won’t allow us to be together," she said. "You go live down by the water, while I will stay up here in the mountains."As the two lovers separated, the naupaka plants that grew nearby saw how sad they were. The very next day, they began to bloom in only half flowers.

Legend says that if you put the two half flowers together so the left half and the right half touch ends, the man and the woman are joined together once again".

SHE WALKED THRU THE SKY OF MY DREAMS

I met her by accident,
she walked thru the sky of my dreams,
softly, on tiptoes.

And I looked at her
in the fear to blink,
caught between the once and now,
created from the ashes of my memories.

I knew that she would disappear
with the first light of a new morning,
so instead of waking up
I chose death.

A. M.