Holy Hula

*Note* An "ekphrastic" poem is a poem written about a work of art. You pretty much have to write about what you see, and the challenge involves going outside of the frame. Apparently, the more abstract a piece is, the better. If you ask me, the more abstract, the less there is to write about...but whatever.



Holy Hula
Bud Shark, lithograph with moving parts, 1991

Palm trees rock in the scorching-hot air,
cast in red-orange from the sunset’s glare.
Smoky clouds pollute the sky’s face;
a volcano chokes and lava escapes.

Hula girls dance to the pulsating waves
drumming the sand in harmonic displays.
On the horizon, a ship draws in
to the docks where the waters start to rescind.

Heavy black cloaks clash with the lush land;
passengers spill to the faded beige sand.
They step past the trees where the hula girls dance,
watching them—wide-eyed, dumb, entranced.

In menacing strides, the clergy invade
(attacking in a mock-holy crusade)
to purge what is dirty, rash, and unclean
and cover the parts not meant to be seen.

Through their encounter, they wreak ruin here—
to them, the Hell they’ve brought is unclear.
Their God’s like the Devil if He drives them to kill,
yet they, like the hypocrite, preach His word still.