When I Knew You
When I knew you, you were soft
yet sturdy and maliable like
the Koa trees that used to grace my hometown
We spoke different languages
My hands and heart threaded words of love into
strips of paper, a symbol of admiration and affection
but you couldn't read them
When I stopped knowing you, you were cold
yet hot and angry like
the lava that flowed gracefully into Kapoho Bay
I couldn't speak to you
I wrote the same words over and over my clumsy
fingers bleeding over threads of cloth
but you couldnt see it
I weaved my heart into emails and texts and poems
hiding it from you in places you didn't understand
concealed in plain sight, decorated in shards of anguish and loss
glistening like the tears of Pele