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Good to have friends
or at least witnesses
to the deeper meanings of this,
as diamonds pile up
all over Waikiki.
You need a soundtrack
& the current contender,
as epic as the headless sphinx
backlit in late dawn cerulean,
is Time Life’s Romancing the 70s
(“186 songs,” according to Tony Orlando
who is also post-Dawn & slyly professorial in his role as TV huckster,
“each one reminding you of your favourite decade”)
It’s the 1970s for centuries as we bounce down to the lobby,
drawn by dreams of eggs popping in pans,
past vast & no doubt accurate renderings of
apocalyptic sunsets,
identical on every floor of the
Queen Kapi’olani
(whose statue presides in the park opposite,
frozen in crinoline and Christian blankness,
palm outstretched; a brave injunction to
porters & maids, her shadow nation:
‘Strive for the Highest’)
High on greasy smoke and smiles we roam through so-called America,
staggering into malls & bright sunshowers,
down Obama’s shortcut home & finally opposite
the pink apartment block in Makiki.
At a moment before dusk, we’re insensible & hungry, but catch Frankie Valli wafting
from a 5th floor transistor, voice headed seawards,
eyes adoring.
Climbing the stairs,
Frankie is replaced by Tony Orlando.
The sexy teacher sounds eager,
driven on by all that is golden, sacred, Pacific.
Too exhausted to bother anymore
we catch only the words we need to hear:
“These songs are yours to keep always,
memories to last a lifetime.
“Remember the taste of your favourite dish?
Tonight and forever, it’s Spam Musubi.”
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