Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

I have stood in the shadows of giants,
Dwarfed by their statue.
Towering, resolute,
Their energy radiates the jagged shores
Commanding respect.
Demanding awe from the awestruck.
The living faces of ancestors,
Monuments to the dead,
Guardians of the living.
They have stood here for centuries
And will be here for centuries to come
Tall, erect, proud
Silent, hollow eyes empty
Their names lost to time and memory
Once worshipped
Now mere idols for gawkers
Once the center of their kingdoms
Now set apart, alone
A silent vigil over ruins
Unreachable, untouchable.
The chants of their people
Echo in the wind,
In the toss of the raging waves,
In the whisper of the long grass.
They are ghosts,
Their life gouged from their eyes,
Shattered white coral at their feet,
Their faces marred and broken,
Long fingers waded with time.
Once torn down,
Now resurrected
Returned to their alters
Standing guard as they once were.
I have stood in the shadows of ghosts
Monoliths of another time
Another world, another people.
I am tiny in their presence
Trembling in their hollow gaze.
They stood here before me
And they will continue to stand here
Once I am gone.
The living faces of our ancestors
Silent yet watchful still.
E hi’opo’a matou ia outou.
Mauruuru.