Bells
The Hawaiian church, our Hawaiian church that made our village alive,
There's Uncle Bill, still saying his spiel, and he's just a little fella,
He's our bell ringer and choir singer and loves to sing a Capella,
~~~
There's a sort of fat string that will make the bell ring ... Uncle Bill arrives,
The church pews filled, Uncle Bill says bestilled, as he holds on to that string,
All is hushed as he looks at his watch, and all will soon hear the bell ring,
~~~
Lil' Bill nosedive, popped up and revived, his feet aired ... I jeered, "He Survived!"
The church stands and sings as I'm pulled in, and I stand next to my granny,
Looking at cousins smiles dime-a-dozen, missed what all know was funny,
~~~
Uncle Bill sees us and smiles as we stand, showing thumbs up for Swan's dive,
Though years have long passed, and I'm home at last to say goodbye to old friends,
Lava's coming, the village fleeing, all good things must come to an end,
~~~
Trunks getting packed, trucks getting stacked, we turned to the homestead to take five,
Up and down our one country lane, the whole village, we were all the same,
Hugs and tearing, mascara smearing, girls don't care, men there cried -- no shame,
~~~
Hard to break up, vehicles need to line up, and take the hardest, drive,
Happy -- crazy, I guess, 'twas time's best, all stopped uphill more sad -- steadfast,
Granny ... Uncle Bill passed, lava flows, forest glows, church bell tower's last,
~~~
Five hundred souls, four winds that know, THEN Kalapana now an archive ...
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