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They
used to clean their limu
on the beach
Old ladies with nimble hands
ocean-soggy mu`u mu`u
spread out on the sand
laps full of ka ulu wehi o ke kai
the plants of the sea
They were rooted to the island
but their bodies swayed
back and forth
as they sorted
talked
gestured
in the rhythm of the sea
Their hands moved like the waves
and washed the limu clean
of all the little bits
of sand and shell which would seem
too small for their trouble
They dropped the `opala
rubbish plants and tiny rocks
in small piles behind one knee
As the tide came in they moved back
away from the sea
and the water rose
and washed the black beach clean.
1989, D. Leilehua Yuen
1990, Women in Motion, University of Hawai`i at Hilo
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