Donald Traxler's Poetry

Friday, March 12, 2021

Te kii a te poeta tahanga 1

The naked poet says: "I'm wearing clothes, but I prefer to stay naked."

Thursday, March 11, 2021

109,000 Visits, and One More Polynesian Language

There is little doubt in my mind that we will reach the milestone of 109,000 visits (page-views) to this blog in the next twenty-four hours. This is mainly due to the diligent activity of pirates in the US and in Sweden. There isn't much I can do about it at the moment, and I would rather think (and write) about other things.

One day, when I was about three or four years old, my maternal grandmother was showing me pictures in a "Book of Knowledge-" type book. She had been an elementary-school teacher, and she did this kind of thing naturally. I would have to say that she contributed as much to my pre-school education as did my mother.

Anyway, Gran was showing me lots of pictures from around the world. When we came to Hawaii, I saw a picture of men, wearing plain lava-lavas, working on what must have been a dugout canoe. I became quite excited, and asked my grandmother why they were dressed that way. She said, "because they're Hawaiian men." I had never heard of such a thing, at least in this life.

Later that day, during my nap time, I stood up on my little bed and wrapped the rubber sheet around my hips like a lava-lava or pareo. I then proceeded to stomp around on the bed with the rubber sheet wrapped around me, playing like I was a "Hawaiian man."

As luck would have it, just at that moment my mother came in. She asked me what I was doing, and I said, "I'm a Hawaiian man."

Let us now fast-forward to when I was sixteen. In that critical self-discovery time (remember, this was the late 1950s), I had a dream or, more likely, a reincarnational flash involving sex on a beach with a young female. We were both wearing short, gaily-printed pareos. I have always, unwaveringly, associated this dream or flash with Tahiti, and I still do today.

It is perhaps understandable then, that I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Polynesia. I have visited Hawaii, Fiji, and New Zealand. Over the years I have exposed myself (hehe) to various Polynesian languages. I prefer those of the Tahitic group to the Samoic (including Samoan) and Marquesan (including Hawaiian) outliers. At present I am trying to arrive at a form of Tahitic Polynesian that will please me and be widely understood. I shall share my progress with you.

As always, thanks to all of you for your continued interest and enthusiasm.

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Photo: Ko te Ao ko to maatau faea

The Universe is our mother and our father.

We are children of the stars.

Photo: He maha na reo

There are many languages.

There is one family.

The Earth is our house.

Monday, March 8, 2021

108,000 Visits, Many Languages, and Multiple Dimensions

The night before last, while I was visiting on the Astral in the early morning hours, the number of visits to this blog passed 108,000. Now 108, the product of 9 and 12, is a sacred number, and a perfect number. We must not, therefore, allow this milestone to pass by unnoticed.

The content of this blog still includes poetry, prose writing, and photography, in varying proportions. A new trend, though, is the combining of short poetry and other similarly laconic writing with photographs. I like this trend, because in it a tighter connection is formed between text and image, raising both to a higher level.

I continue to use Udugi as a personal auxiliary language, one that is also, when written in the Sequoia syllabary, highly decorative. Lately, though, I have a hankering for yet another linguistic option. Should I achieve it, you will see it here.

Hint: It will involve Eastern Polynesian vocabulary combined with a simplified grammar, all chosen with a view to wide mutual intelligibility. Sound exciting? To me it does, and it will satisfy a past-life yearning. Let me know if you are interested in collaborating

As always, I thank you all for your continued interest and enthusiasm.