Banana Oatmeal

For breakfast this morning, I had a bowl of oatmeal (with fresh bananas in it) and a slice of toast (with sunflower seeds in it). As I was eating it, I was taken back in time to North Kohala with my grandparents. I love it there, the place of my birth. My memories hold sunny days, a constant and comfortable wind, guavas, oranges, tangerines, plumeria, gardenia, a sprawling, lovely yard, the gulch and fruit trees, uncle jarom's pigeon coup with eggs and baby pigeons, pastures, garden spiders, flowers, open space to breathe in.

I remember when me and Makana used to play with the monarch butterflies that would come and hang out in the tall pine trees lining the road. There would be hundreds, if not thousands, of them. We would try to catch and play with them (and now that I think back, poor butterflies), and thought it was so cool when we happened upon two 'stuck' together. We would walk down into the gulch with nothing but our underwear on. I think of that house in Hawi, with its vaulted ceilings and a pantry that fascinated me. There is a certain smell to it. I remember when there was a little deck area in the back corner, off of grandma's room, with aloe growing. I remember crying when I had to throw away my old, dingy blanket in order to get the new one that grandma sewed for me. I still have it -- the one my grandma sewed. I didn't understand why I couldn't keep them both. Could not comprehend. I remember grandma drinking something green, and tasting it, hesitantly, and thinking it was yummy. I remember the time there being purely pleasant and joyful. A place and time near and dear to my heart. Sometimes I wish things could be as they were then, unchanged, simple. I remember hoping to live there when I got older, and I would, if I could. So much has changed since then; people have passed on, houses have been built. At least there are the memories to savor.