WEN DA DEVIL SMILES

by Joe Balaz

I forgot       to pay attention to da road marker.

I forgot       visual images are transferable.

I forgot       dat I wuz going somewheah.

I forgot       every destination is just wun station.

I forgot       da silver lining is colorless in its dormancy.

I forgot       bad tings only happen wen da devil smiles.

I forgot       not to consume grass on da highway.

I forgot       da herd stampedes wit titanium hooves.

I forgot       objects get mangled on impact.

I forgot       wat da paramedic wuz telling me.

I forgot       spiraling like wun broken airplane.

I forgot       da feel of da emergency room.

I forgot       dat I wuzn’t wun cloud.

I forgot       to take anadah breath.

I forgot       da pitchfork stuck in my throat.

I forgot       to open my eyes.

I forgot       to see da big red stop sign.

by Joe Balaz

Nowadays plenty guys

stay getting busted

cause dey nevah control

dere natural urges.

Making your way up da ladder

is wun pretty cool ting

but dat no mean

you can invent new kine rules

only foa you

wen you get dere.

Sexual misconduct

is da current topic of note

and women

are revealing da men

dat took advantage of dem.

Look at all da power brokers

falling out of high places

getting fired or resigning

heah and deah.

Too bad dey nevah approach it

da old-fashioned way

by simply dating

and waiting foa her

to invite dem in.

Making dere way up da ladder

seems to be wun detriment to some

cause wit dere carnal actions

it’s quite evident

dat you can change da location

of wun tiger

but you no can change its stripes.

by Joe Balaz

Da green turns into white

and da bills turn into receipts

while da cost of living

keeps moving on

like wun millipede

wit plenty kine feets.

Might as well

pull out all of my hair

and make bolo head.

Moa bettah

have nutting on top

cause not going have nutting

in da pocket.

And look

at dat inflationary arthropod go

walking along steady Freddy

as if money grow on coconut trees.

Auwe noho’i e!

Most people gaddah pay in some way

foa live on dese islands

except foa dose rich buggahs

wit dere silver spoons

and golden parachutes.

In my dreams

I like foa go samps

but no can

cause Mister Buku Bucks

not going give me nutting.

Shoots den!

I guess

I gaddah accept my fate

and in wun small

consequential way

tings might be looking up.

I wen just find out

dat wit dis coupon

I wen cut from da newspaper

I can get two hamburgers

foa da price of one.

PLAN BUT NO REALLY PLAN

by Joe Balaz

If can can

if no can no can

it is as simple as dat.

Plan

but no really plan

and wat you may tink

wuz premeditation in hindsight

is not so at all.

Look to roll

wit da unforeseen scroll

dat is unfurling before you.

You’re not nutzo

cause it’s wun definite go

so slide through dat door

and go foa it.

See all of dose go-go girls

dancing up on da stage

getting da audience going

so much so

dat everyone is dancing too

and digging it so much?

Da whole presentation                                                                                              

is brought about by you.

Da passionate visions,

da flights of fancy,

da sparking synthetic stars

in wun strange

and marvelous night sky.

Add dis to da picture

of wat can nevah be

wun total picture

cause adahs like you

are adding to it as well

like wun continuous video

dat flashes scenes

into da reaches of infinity.

If can can

if no can no can

it is as simple as dat.

Joe Balaz writes in Hawaiian Islands Pidgin (Hawai’i Creole English)

and American English.  He is the author of Pidgin Eye, a book of poetry.

The book was featured in 2019 by NBC News for Asian Pacific American

Heritage Month, as one of the best new books to be written by a Pacific

Islander.

In July 2020, he was given the Elliot Cades Award for Literature as an

Established Writer. It is the most prestigious literary award given in  

Hawai’i.