Punahou Reunion Poem by Kirby Wright

Here are the sterling lawns and tropical
Gardens that once belonged to us.
Love was discovered and hearts broken
As plumeria bloomed and fell.
Hear the whisper of ghosts?
Our history’s here, from the coral walls of
Old School Hall to the stone steps of Pauahi.
Remember Homeroom Swim Meets,
Canteens, learning to cha-cha-cha in the gym,
The day Bishop Hall went down?

Punahou became our teenage outpost
As Cooke Hall’s gable clock
Counted our days remaining in Eden.
The Land of Nod was beyond
Walls of night blooming cereus
And a three ton standing stone
Guarding the entrance. I saw
A rainbow arcing over Griffiths Hall
That spilled into a boulder on Rocky Hill.
Remember two scoops of rice and gravy
For lunch, your booth at the Carnival,
Field trips, Baccalaureate Sunday, the Prom?

Tiny yellow leaves from monkey pod trees
Rain down on campus like confetti.
There was a night not so long ago
When we stood shoulder to shoulder
Draped in maile and pikake.
The future was just past the footlights,
Through the double doors of the HIC.
We sang our final rendition of “Friends”
With more conviction and passion
Than at any practice. It was as if
We finally understood the words
And the memories we shared as a class
Flashed before our eyes.