"Pupukea Shell"
But from where did she come? this haolefanciulla dressed in thin, black clothes,
A shawl like a Portuguese grandmother's,
Chinese dancing shoes made for acrobats buckled at the back,
Skin like goat's milk fresh in the pail, and black, black curly hair?
She was a vision like the Mary who gave the virgin birth
He knew from Catholic School, and like the stories people told of Pele,
The goddess testing the mortal by taking human form.
The goddess testing the mortal by taking human formBut she suppose' to be ol' …
Cecilio said within, rising from his battered chair, its wooden legs scraping
Cecilio said within, rising from his battered chair, its wooden legsthe concrete floor,
His breath growing shallower to witness beauty immaculate amidst the mundane.
"My name is Lucia," she said. "I paint island flowers on beach glass. …
I embroider orchid boats on linen seas …"
"My name is Lucia," she said. "I paint island flAnd the midnight half-moon
Rose like a spreading, silver fan floating on the ink-dark ocean of the sky.
.
There Is Nothing Miraculous About a Tornado, Wolf Blitzer
A Huge Discovery About Prime Numbers—and What It Means for the Future of Math
Giving Poor Kids Computers Changes Nothing
Garrett Hongo's new book of poems Coral Roadis forthcoming in fall 2011. He teaches at the University of Oregon.
For Slate's poetry submission guidelines, click spacerhereyeshyperlinkPoetry SubmissionsSlate reads new poems from Oct. 1 to April 30. Manuscripts sent between May 1 and Sept. 30 will not be considered.To submit poems: Send, as a single attached document, up to three poems of no more than 50 lines each to editors@slatepoems.com. Use the poet's name for the subject line of the e-mail and for the title of the attachment. We prefer Word documents (.doc or .docx) to PDFs.Please include a brief, professional cover letter, including publication history, in the body of your email. Please limit submissions to one per poet per annual reading period. Simultaneous submissions are OK. Slate no longer accepts poetry submissions by mail. The email address editors@slatepoems.com is for poetry submissions only (or to notify editors of acceptance elsewhere of a poem under consideration at Slate). Other inquiries, etc., will not be addressed.10000false220061444537PMWednesdayJanJanuary161/4/2006 9:45:37 PM63271989937000000020061444537PMWednesdayJanJanuary161/4/2006 9:45:37 PM632719899370000000.Click here to visit Robert Pinsky's Favorite Poem Project site.Click here for an archive of discussions about poems with Robert Pinsky in "the Fray," Slate's reader forum.