Sonnet

Home in Hawaii
The Aloha State has unique seasons.
In winter there is only rain, no snow.
We love this time, we all have our reasons:
gifts wrapped in paper with a pretty bow.
Spring is the time when iiwi birds sing.
The early rising sun makes new life grow.
The flaming red hibiscus is blooming
As nature gives us a brilliant show.
Summer is the relaxing time of year.
The schools are out and break is moving in.
No more monotonous lectures to hear.
Watch out! The sun sears unprotected skin.
Autumn is when the kolea return.
School is in session, we have come to learn.

Sonnet Analysis
"Home in Hawaii" uncovers how Hawaii is like no other place on earth. Hawaii has an assortment of native plants and animals that call these islands "home." The seasons also reflect Hawaii's uniqueness. For each season, there is least one example - that makes this place so special and different from anywhere else in the world. As winter melts into spring, spring to summer, and summer to fall, there are subtle but definite changes in Hawaii's environment.
When people think of winter in general, they picture snow drifting down from the sky and covering the earth with glistening white, but in Hawaii, we have snowless winters. Instead, we have lots and lots of rain. (If you remember last year, we had forty days of rain.) The sonnet describes the typical Hawaiian winter "rain, no snow." Even though the constant fall of rain becomes dreary and dull, in the back of my mind I am grateful that rain is falling from the sky instead of snow. I cannot imagine driving to school on icy roads, shoveling snow, and all the other chores that snow entails. I said “only rain” because compared to the stress and problems that snow brings, rain doesn’t seem so bad. Of course, at the same time, Hawaii is similar to other places. We also have to deal with the hustle and bustle of Christmas. Children eagerly await Christmas morning in hope of finding " gifts wrapped in paper with a pretty bow." Like other places, this time of excitement also causes us to reflect on the true meaning of ohana. The State of Hawaii seems to be overflowing with aloha. People generously give toys, clothes, practical items, and time to help many of Hawaii’s families that seem to have hit a bump in the road. Children have something to look forward to and nobody is left out.
Winter can be quite demanding, but it quickly seeps into spring. Spring is a joyous time. Everything seems to be awakening. People start to notice their surroundings: the bird gathering grass for her nest and vibrant flowers bursting into bloom. Hawaii serves as a home to a variety of endemic plants and animals. “Spring is the time when iiwi birds sing.” Sadly, these birds are endangered because of all the introduced species that threaten them. These native birds were an important part of the Hawaiian culture. Selected Hawaiians would specialize in catching and plucking the brightly colored feathers of these birds. The feathers would then be used to create stunning garments and accessories, such as capes, for the alii. These birds are found nowhere else besides Hawaii and will be irreplaceable if they become extinct. If they disappear, Hawaii will lose part of its culture. The sonnet continues by describing "the flaming red hibiscus." Even though it isn't endemic and can be found in many other places, it just so happens that it is the state flower. Its captivating red petals demand attention. It’s almost as if Hawaii is saying, “We are special, you will never find a place quite as beautiful and exciting as us!”
"Nature gives us a brilliant show." Sometimes, I think that we can forget how lucky we are to live in Hawaii. People have paid hundreds of dollars to visit Hawaii’s beaches with white sand and clear water, hike in the lush, green mountains, watch lava flowing toward the ocean, and many other things that we often take for granted. Sometimes, we are so caught up in other things that we forget how lucky we are to live on such a beautiful island.
Summer is probably my favorite time of year. It is a time to rest from the demands of the school year and have fun with friends and enjoy yourself without thinking about papers or tests. During the summer, one of the favorite places for people to be is the beach, so I included a warning: “Watch out! The sun sears unprotected skin.” Sometimes, our ability to relax in the sun hinders our judgment and we forget how powerful the sun is. Many times, unlucky tourists and locals return home with stinging sunburns in exchange for a day of fun with friends and family in pristine Hawaiian waters under clear blue skies.
Every year, we can tell when summer has officially melted into fall as soon as the first kolea is spotted. To me, it feels like sort of an honor to live on the island that the kolea annually fly to. Their flying here from far away Alaska says something about Hawaii. Hawaii is a place of value where weary travelers can rest. It is almost a bittersweet feeling that washes over me when I see the kolea. Part of me is amazed that they are able to find Hawaii in the midst of the vast Pacific Ocean, a mere dot when you glance at a map. In a way, their flight here is almost like a foreboding of a school year and changes soon to come.
Hawaii’s seasons, winter, spring, summer, and fall, are a cycle. Now, when I see a kolea decked with it’s brilliant white, black, and gold feathers, ready for the long journey to Alaska, I know that summer is almost here and the cycle goes on. As time goes by, we grow older and wiser. It seems as though everything is changing and evolving around us, but the rhythm of this island remains beautiful and unchanging.

Heritage Paper

“Oh, He’s Gone…”

“Mom! Where did my favorite blue and pink jacket go?”
“Oh, it’s gone,” my mom replied trying to sound as casual as possible, making us both laugh.
In my family, we have a famous saying when something goes missing. You have to say, “Oh, it’s gone,” in a naïve and innocent voice. It all started when my Gunggung (Chinese for Grandfather) brought home a dog for my mom’s family. It was 1968, so my mom was very young and had always dreamed of owning her very own puppy. Their cool Manoa home was the perfect place for their new puppy to grow up. He had lots of room to play in lush, green, spacious backyard. The tall hibiscus bushes and thriving red ginger bushes were great for hiding in and if it was hot, there was an enormous mango tree to lounge under. My mom, her sister, Joanne, and brother, Tom, were ecstatic about have such an awesome pet and named him Chippie. Chippie was what people would call a “poi dog” and had a knack for getting in to trouble.
Something that you should know about my gunggung is that he is not an animal lover. Maybe it’s because he grew up in a third world country, but it is quite evident that he is not the kind of person to get all lovey-dovey about a pet; he actually celebrated the death of my Popo, Grandmother’s, beloved rabbit, Bunny Bunny. He doesn't understand how people can spend so much money and waste so much food on a lowly animal. To him, animals were a source of food. A rascal dog and what you might call an animal hater are not the best of combinations. Gunggung’s patience wore thin as Chippie chewed on almost everything he could sink his teeth into. In addition to this destructive habit, Chippie refused to eat dog food; he had to have human food. Popo would have to make chili and rice or some kind of food that met Chippie’s standards even when the family was eating out. This really upset Gunggung to see precious food being wasted on a dog.
One day, my mom, her sister, and her brother returned home from school to find that Chippie was not there to greet them. “Where’s Chippie,” they asked my popo.
She didn't want to point fingers and say “Your father took away the family dog,” so she tried to answer in a calm, casual voice, “Oh, he’s gone…”
“Where’d he go?”
Unable to find the words to explain what had happened to their dear dog, she again replied, “Oh, he’s gone…”
As it could be expected, my mom and her siblings were confused that Gunggung had given away such an important member of their family. It turned out that Gunggung could no longer tolerate Chippie’s habit of gnawing on things after he chewed up the corner of the house. Fed up, he gave him away to a man that picked Chippie up while his children were away at school.
Popo, a stay at home mom, watched Chippie being loaded into the back of his new owner’s truck. He seemed to know that he was going away for good and Popo cried when she saw him leaving. Popo, who adores animals, never told her children how sad she was when she saw Chippie being taken away. I’m sure that if she had told her children that she had cried as she when Chippie left, my mom, her sister, and her brother would have been angry at Gunggung for giving away Chippie because it made everybody but him miserable. By keeping this secret for many years, Popo kept peace in her household. Popo taught her children not to dwell on unhappy and disappointing things with a simple “oh, he’s gone…” She showed then that it’s alright to be sad, but they have to go on with life because some things cannot be reversed and being miserable or bitter will just take away from the good things in life.
To this day, my mom still remembers the “I’m trapped in a corner” voice Popo had used. Popo didn’t know how to explain what had happened, so she just used the plainest, simplest phrase to tell them. Now, whenever someone is looking for something and askes Mom where it is she answers in that same clueless voice that Popo used, “Oh, it’s gone…” It always makes us laugh, not because we’re making fun of Popo, but because we see how it reflects her gentleness and tact in difficult situations.