Hurricane 'Iniki came ashore in the Hawaiian Islands. The winds seemed to stop on Kauai, first blowing one direction then reversing their course. For a year afterward Kauai was an island of blue tarps, marking lost roofs, lost homes, lost livelihoods. But an amazing thing happened on Kauai. Immediately after the storm the locals took note of what they had and set out to share with their neighbors.
Restaurants set up outdoor kitchens and cooked all they had, giving the food away until it was gone.
And together they rebuilt the island. To honor the Aloha spirit of the Kauai people I wrote this poem. It was the silence you noticed first. The birds ceased their singing while the very air seemed to draw in on itself. All was quiet.