Poem by Donald Benson Blanding

Aloha Oe

It's more than just an easy word for casual good-bye;
It's gayer than a greeting and it's sadder than a sigh;
It has the hurting poignancy, the pathos of a sob;
It's sweeter than a youthful hearts exquisite joyous throb;
It's all the tender messages that words can not convey;
It's tears unshed, and longing for a loved one gone away;
It's welcome to Hawaii and it's lingering farewell;
It's all the dear and silent things that lover's lips can tell;
It's woven into flower leis and old Hawaiian songs;
It's frailer than a spider-web and strong as leather thongs;
It's fresh as dew on ginger blooms and older than the moon;
It's in the little lullabys that native mothers croon;
It's said a hundred different ways, in sadness and in joy;
Aloha means "I love you." So, I say "Aloha Oe"

1. Torch Ginger
2. Moon Rainbow
3. Epitaph
4. Song of the Seven Senses
5. Somehow

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