Herman’s Bones

Da ocean like us know we all going die.
She stay keeping all our bones.
I seen da wave take ’em
den bring ’em to da shore
den take ’em back out again.
Plenny bones, 
and inside da bones—mana.¹ 

One day, da ocean all quiet,
da waves all calm, den alla sudden
all kapakahi.² 
Da waves wen straight up,
alla way up, 
up to da sky
fo’ real kine was all spiritual like
like I was at church
and everybody all quiet.  

I wen³  look up
up at da stars, and das when,
inside da stars
I seen all da bones
all da answers 
to everything.   

Our fren Herman, 
way up high in da blue waves
he not evah going come back.
Way up high, 
his bones, his mana
da ocean stay keeping ’em 
so lucky da ocean 
fo’ keep Herman fo’ evah
cause only she can.