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From “understory”
nālani clips kaikainali‘i’s tiny fingernails while she sleeps — “the rape of oceania began with guam” — soldiers invade okinawa, hawai‘i, the philippines, and south korea — #yesallwomen how do [we] stop kaikainali‘i’s body from becoming target practice — bullets fragment and ricochet — nālani brushes kaikainali‘i’s hair when she wakes, sings the names of body parts in hawaiian language — who will remember the names of girls disappeared from reservations and maquiladoras from villages and schools #mmiw #mmaw #bringbackourgirls nālani gathers the clippings because even [our] nails are ten percent water — outside, mānoa rain falls as large as eggs — inside, nālani lies on her side to breast- feed kaikainali‘i in bed — they fall asleep facing each other, still latched — i nestle with them and, for a moment, kaikainali‘i smiles — what does she dream about? her deep breath rises and falls like king tides — her fragile rib cage appears and disappears like a coral island crowning — my daughter, i know our stories are heavier than stones, but you must carry them with you no matter how far from home the storms take your canoe because you will always find shelter in our stories, you will always belong in our stories, you will always be sacred in our ocean of stories — hanom hanom