Tats...

-


The Honolulu Police Department was weighing a new "no tattoo" policy. I guess the association of the tattoo with the criminal element and fringe of society made some wary of the knights in shining armor bearing ink. I think the end result was that they grandfathered those officers with tattoos in but new recruits are either not to have tattoos or have to cover them up. Wearing long sleeves and long pants in Hawai'i's tropical climate doesn't sound appealing at all. Neither does laser scarring from tattoo removal either. Unlike this officer's relatively sparse Hawaiian and Polynesian motifs, I once saw a young officer with a full sleeve tattoo. I must admit. All my years of interfacing with the criminal element and rock musicians made me look at that officer in a very different way. Fair? No. Justified? No. Did I prejudge him? Yes. And I am not the only one...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Love...

-
Image
I was able to spend some precious time with my beautiful sister Nalani. When I arrived at the hospice in Hilo, she was barely recognizable. So gaunt, weakened, and listless as cancer ravages her body. Her eyes were slow to meet mine as I sat on a bed next to her. As recognition set in, she grasped my hands. Tears streamed down her face and I burst forth in tears and sobbed. I never felt so helpless in my Life. It was only in her beautiful green eyes that I could understand all we needed to say without words. She was still in there. Her beautiful Spirit encased in a deteriorating dying body. So much loneliness and suffering in her Life. All I could do was kiss her, hold her, whisper in her ear, and promise her I would shine the brightest Light I could emanate, with all of my Love, to help Light her way Home...
Read more

Love...

-
Image
Today was a most reflective day. After work, I stopped by the hospital to visit with some beautiful 'ohana. Two beloved women, from Kaua'i, each profoundly beautiful and strong in their own unique way, and by Divine providence, just a few rooms apart on the same hospital floor. Both resurrected from the precipice of death and facing intense life decisions moving forward. It was so healing for me to spend time with them both. To hold their hands. To kiss their lips, face and foreheads. To reassuringly caress their arms. To intently pray for Divine healing and an abiding comforting presence. Understanding deeply myself the precarious balance of Life. The most beautiful moment was to look into each of their eyes, deeply, lovingly and knowingly. To profess my Love for each of them. And while we hope and pray for the best, we also know the fragility of this Life. No matter what tomorrow shall bring, we shall always be bonded in undying Love. In the precious fleeting time spen...
Read more

Kane Po...

-
Image
I heard about this pohaku from Hawai`i for several years but never had the opportunity to see it. Or touch it. It is outside the National Museum of the American Indian. When I came up to it, a squirrel was jumping around the pohaku. His left eye was `o`opa. A little droopy. I asked him to be careful around our Hawaiian pohaku. I touched the rock hoping to lift my spirits a little by feeling home. To my surprise, the pohaku felt intensely cold and dead. I held my hand for awhile against the pohaku, putting some of my warmth into it while conversing with my limpy squirrel friend. I had expected the pohaku to lift my spirits. I think in the end, I helped lift his...
Read more