John Dominis Holt

“On mountain tops, in green valleys
and all across the land
We sing new songs, create sharper visions
and we shout with pride
give us back what is left of what was ours
Our pride, our hopes.
And what about our lands?
They belong to us. Give them back.
We sleep no longer in compliance.
We have awakened with the beat
of ancient pahu,
the shark skin stretched tight,
and move determined to a new
rhythm, a new beat.
Aloha aina, aloha aina, E
Hawaii aloha e.

--from "Pono”
― John Dominis Holt, Hanai: A Poem for Queen Liliuokalani

“Cruel and proud America
give us back our pride,
our dreams, our land.

Liliuokalani is long gone
but we are here
and you are here
and the ghosts of Kepookalani,
and Kamanawa.
The great Paiea, our ageless king,
will stalk you until the end
and we will be there

because Queen Liliuokalani is long gone
but she is also here to haunt you
and we are here
witnesses to your greed,
your stubborn clutching to what is ours.

We are here
and the ghosts of our makua
watch you from the shadows of their
island valleys and caves.
From the mountain tops of Kaala and Maunakea
Where old gods and the makua wait patiently.

--from "Enaʻena”
― John Dominis Holt, Hanai: A Poem for Queen Liliuokalani