Photo courtesy of Terry Reis – Surf Shooter Hawaii

My lungs rebel against the burning cane
As lightning splits the power pole across
The field. Oahu starts to steam with rain,
A silver ship, all wrapped in moonlit floss.
My father walks its deck, the sailor’s gait
That keeps him steady on the rolling ocean
Does precious little to keep his heart from breaking
Looking down at me, his ailing son,
A little boy, as fragile as a kitten,
Whose storms cannot be ridden like the sea.
No hero’s worth of courage makes a difference,
He cannot battle what he cannot see.
Then suddenly my labored breathing eases,
The latest storm to hit Hawaiʻi ceases.

Published in the Bakersfield, CA, sonnet magazine, SPSM&H, in 2003.