sing a song for me

It’s been almost a month since I’ve been in Ka’ala’s singing class, and I have learned a lot, like my limitations as a singer, but a man must know his limits. Isn’t that what Dirty Harry said to the bad guy just before he blew his brains out? I’m not writing today to discuss my shortcomings. Instead, I want to discuss the joy, the pleasure I’ve received listening to my fellow students and Ka’ala sing the sweet melodies of Hawaii. Yes, I admit that I am biased when it comes to my preference of na mele Hawai’i. How can I not be? It brings me back to my childhood, growing up in Hawai’i with my entire family. Looking back everything seemed perfect at the time even though it wasn’t. Nostalgia has a tendency to dismiss the bad, emphasize the good, and there was a lot of good; the weekly outings to the beach on the windward side of the island, the entire family (6 kids and the family dog) riding in the bed of the family pick-up truck; the daily walks around the neighborhood when several blocks away from home seemed like a foreign country; the consumption of bar-b-q sticks that tasted better than any steak that money could buy, and on and on. So when I hear my fellow students sing, the romance, the tenderness, the beauty of the songs goes straight to my heart and I am so touched by their renditions suffused with honest emotions, effort, and talent. I am so touched that it would not be impossible to get a bit misty eyed, but I wouldn’t because I must be macho, and even if you happened to see a tear in my eye I will only claim it’s because of my allergies.

These thoughts take me back to the time when I sang for Pat when she was dying, and how she cried and cried. I was a bit dense then, and could only think that it was related to my inability to sing and play well. I get it now, for if I were in her place, my reaction would be the same. The songs itself are so sweet that it brings back all the wonderfulness of life, the sheer joy of it, and you cry for it was so great, and then you cry with renewed vigor because you will soon be leaving it all behind. It is the ultimate of a bitter sweet emotion. Even with these bitter sweet thoughts now in my mind I invite one and all to sing for me while I am in my deathbed, and if I cry it is not to be taken as a critique of your singing. Look twice for you will see me smiling even while crying.