LAST CALL FOR A BRITISH SEA CAPTAIN

by Kirby Wright

Grind Cook’s arm bone rubbing with coral. Make white dust. Shape bone into fishhook. Bait hook with Englishman’s okole meat. Drop braided olonā cord with bait in water outside reef. First come manini to nibble. Then ulua. Last is big black manō. Manō no circle. He go straight for bait—swallow hooked meat whole. Olonā cord burns through my hands when manō runs for deep water. I let cord go.

Pueo in hala onshore cries like dying haole.

hala: screwpine
haole: white man
manini: convict tang
manō: shark
okole: ass
olonā: cord made from braided bark
pueo: owl
ulua: skipjack

Kirby Michael Wright was born and raised on the remote island of Moloka'i. His family land served as the breadbasket for Kamehameha's warriors while training for their assault on Oahu.