A New Kid On the Block

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So this is Fremont, California
Circa nineteen sixty-nine,
Nice and bit of a tight-knit
Neighborhood, that is fine.

I am a honey tanned Hawaiian
In a nearly all white community,
With the only swimming pool
Thinks there is another opportunity.

Learned later that ours was it
For this part of the town,
And that would be none for the
Bunch of kids that I hang around.

Being the only kid of a different color
Other than those in this new school,
Though that did not bother me so
Except for a gang whose leader is a fool.

My dad is a Golden Glove winner back in Hawaii
Where he had taught me the ropes,
Having the ability gave me the ardor to be cool
And bypass the taunts and tease by some folks.

Until one day, the leader of the bullies
Stood in my way and was not letting me pass,
He pushed me back so I would fall, instead
With my fist, lands an uppercut to a chin of glass.

The rest stood back, all were aghast,
Their leader held his bleeding lip
And all his teeth were colored red
So, I raised my hand and gave them a finger flip.

With the friends that I had made
Together to the back fence of my house
Dropped our things over, then with our hands 
Gripped the upper part like Mighty Mouse.

Ten legs dangled on the other side
Released, falling onto the bench pool
Then stripped down to our BVDs
All five of us jumped into the waiting pool.

None could pronounce my last name, 'Kekaula'
Proper pronunciation is, Kaye-COW-la
Unbeknownst to my mom of my nickname
That my friends called me, 'Coca-Cola'.

So that was the young life that I have stored
In my treasured overflowing chest of memories
Indelible encryptions freely shared by me
Nowadays a smile known only to be my reveries.


Date: 06/08/2019

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