Last night

 

Moonlight sonata

wakes me at three forty-five

streams in my window

 

Silence of peacocks

differs from the night before’s

loud cacophony

 

In the cool stillness

I fall back into dreamland

until rooster crows.

 

Copyright 2013 Rebekah Luke

 

At Byodo-In

Orange koi black swan

Turtle kolea Buddha

Poems on the wind

 

Copyright 2013 Rebekah Luke

Meditation

For the Hawaiian Makahiki and the American Thanksgiving season, Rebekah’s Studio offers a meditation from 2008.

“In This Place”

Here, in this place, I am thankful for

The feeling of peace

The sea the ocean the waves

The green mountains — that there are mountains

The peach and lavender sky — only here

The sunrises and the starlit skies

The Hawaiian people and how we love each other

The genuineness and the caring

How we all appreciate

That we can grow our food and touch the ʻāina

That we have fresh water and clean air

That we hold on to our values and cherish our relationships

That our keiki have a place to play

That it is easy to see our Source.

Just look around!

 

~ Rebekah Oe-Len Kehaulani Luke

Reprinted from ‘Umeke Writings: An Anthology, edited by Rebekah Luke and Meleanna Meyer, published by Na Kamalei—K.E.E.P., 2008  (ISBN: 978-1-935111-00-9).

Kalo diptych

Heart-shaped kalo leaves

Border of green not red hues
Valentine preview

 

Kalo diptych / 10" x 7" / oil on canvas

Copyright 2012 Rebekah Luke

Calamansi marmalade

Calamansi tree with ripe fruit

Calamansi tree

flowering and bearing both.

Let’s make marmalade!

My father’s former caregivers grow a calamansi tree outside their back porch in Kahuku, Oahu, and they use the juice of this fruit in their Filipino cooking to season meats, fish, and noodles.

I was so happy to learn about it, I planted a tree of our own several years ago in the garden where it gets full sun and good drainage. Growing food is so satisfying!

The botanical name is Citrofortunella microcarpa, sort of a cross between a kumquat and a mandarin orange, and it is native to the Philippines, according to my reading. The average diameter is slightly bigger than a quarter dollar. The flesh is tart, and the skin is sweet and thin.

Calamansi is believed to be a hybrid of a kumquat and a mandarin orange.

You can use it in cocktails in place of lime or lemon, and as the acid in a vinaigrette dressing. Yet, there are only so many cocktails one can drink and only so many salads one can dress.

When our tree starts bearing and the fruit begins to ripen, I make calamansi marmalade in the microwave, one small batch at a time.

I like marmalade with a lot of bitter peel, and I can’t always find it in the market. Calamansi preserves has the right amount of that flavor for me. It’s wonderful on toasted English muffins or on pancakes.

Here is my easy recipe, basically one part fruit to one part sugar. How sad that sugar is bad for our health. Calamansi marmalade is so delicious!

1 cup sugar + 1 cup calamansi

CALAMANSI MARMALADE

Have ready a clean glass jelly jar and lid. Either run them through the dishwasher or under hottest tap water and allow to drip dry. Wash and scrub 1 cup of whole ripe calamansi fruit with orange skin. Cut each fruit into fourths and remove seeds with the tip of the knife. Combine with 1 cup granulated sugar in a 4-quart glass measuring cup or similar microwave-safe container. Cover loosely with plastic wrap to catch splatters, leaving a vent so it won’t boil over into a mess. Place container in a larger dish to collect any syrup that does boil over. Cook in the microwave on full power for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring half way through to blend, until the calamansi appears cooked and shriveled, and until the mixture thickens but is still liquid. The mixture will be very hot. Using hot pads, carefully pour into the jelly jar. Put on the lid securely and refrigerate. As the marmalade cools, it will further thicken and gel into jelly and cause the lid to seal tightly. Keep stored in the refrigerator. Makes 1 cup.

Beautiful homemade marmalade!

Copyright 2011 Rebekah Luke

Perpetuate the Hawaiian national anthem

Yesterday’s long menu of activities all around the island was a feast for anybody interested in going and doing. Pick any venue, and one was sure to be entertained. I committed to a hoolaulea (country style backyard fair) at Hauula Elementary School, helping out at the Hawaiian civic club booth. Live Hawaiian music and hula, craft booths, local Hawaiian-style food, community exhibits, free parking.  The event drew attention to the Hawaiian language immersion schools on our coast.

The singing of “Hawaii Ponoi” by the children impressed me the most. “Hawaii Ponoi” is our national anthem, and we stand when it is played or sung. When I was a kid, we learned the words to the first verse and the chorus, and we sang the chorus two times. Yesterday, I was blown away when, after the chorus, the children of Aha Punana Leo and Ke Kula Kaiapuni sang the other verses. Wow, that’s so maikai (good)! A proud, chicken-skin moment!

Haumana (students) and kumu (teachers) of Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Hauula, Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Kahuku, and Aha Punana Leo o Koolauloa

Here are the “Hawaii Ponoi” lyrics written by King Kalakaua to music composed by Henry Berger. They were first sung in 1874 at Kawaiahao Church.

(1st verse)

Hawaii ponoi

Nana i kou moi

Ka lani alii

Ke alii

============

(Chorus)

Makua lani e

Kamehameha e

Na kaua e pale

Me ka ihe

============

(2nd verse)

Hawaii ponoi

Nana i na alii

Na pua muli kou

Na pokii

============

(3rd verse)

Hawaii ponoi

E ka lahui e

O kau hana nui

E ui e

Copyright 2010 Rebekah Luke

Flying moths over Kaneohe Bay

Cool light northerly
winds meet odd-looking sailboats
Kaneohe Bay

Up on hydrofoils
small fast single-handed craft
skate on calm water

Iridescent wings
of high-tech mylar sailcloth
look and fly like moths

Stressed out? Take a few moments to view, hear, and feel what it’s like on Kaneohe Bay in the shadow of the Ko‘olau mountain range on a partly cloudy afternoon.

Taking time to relax and being mindful of the present is healing. Though some moments are anxious, as when awaiting a tsunami (yesterday) or faced with other disaster, it does a body good to rest and renew one’s spirit. Paint a canvas. Give and receive Reiki. Or go sailing! Last Saturday Ken and Georgia called with a kind invitation to see the moths on the bay, so we abandoned other plans and went!

We had fun making the movie. Turn up the speaker volume of your computer and enjoy!

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Copyright 2010 Rebekah Luke