Before we lived in our current house, we were blessed to live down in Hanalei, right next to the Mormon Church. Our next door neighbor was an old Hawaiian gentleman. He has since passed away, but when we left to move into our new house on December 31st., 1999, he gifted me with a dryland Kalo keiki. I planted it in my back yard over 14 years ago. I spent the day doing yard work, and after the work was done, I walked barefoot around the house. I noticed the coconut trees I planted were over 40 tall. The avocado tree has a sneaky wood rose infestation coming in from the TOP. Lots of baby avo trees and baby cocopalms. In the middle of the yard... I noticed the taro plant.... it has survived being run over by gardeners, who thought it was a weed... its leaves have been used by my children as walls to forts and clothes and all sorts of other things. It has quietly continued... humble, strong, and beautiful. It is massive. I could never eat it now. It is part of the family. It made me think of the passage of time. It made me think of the old Hawaiian man who lived next door who also gave me Okinawan purple potatoe starts and then cussed at me for leaving them in the ground too long. ( I know that his cussing was his way of caring for his haole neighbor who did not understand the ways of soil yet). It made me think of the gift of plants and seeds and gardens, and the people that promote these things and fight for them, who stand guard against the big ag. It made me think of the elders who know no other way then to work as partners with their gardens. Thank you Kalo plant, mahalo old Hawaiian Kapuna man who gave me a gift 14 years ago, that is still giving. Thank you to people like Jimmy James Trujillo, Felicia Alongi Cowden, Fern Ānuenue, Dustin Barca, and the earth warriors, seed lovers and the people who practice what they preach daily. I have a long way to go, but its time to get my hands in the dirt.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 04:39:40 +0000
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