Analysis of Huki the Gate
huki the gate—
work the lock with your fingers,
pull the smooth wire loop
over the top of the ʻōhia log post,
grasp the top rail with your right hand,
press your left booted heel
into the warm flank of your mount
the tap of a spur might encourage him
as the gate swings in.
huki the gate—
swing his head around with a tug on the reins,
swing his hindquarters ʻround with a tap of your leg.
Ease back towards the gate, easy, easy;
a steady hand on the rein holds him close
while you drop the latch closed.
huki the gate—
every seasoned paniolo knows how
If you’re lucky it’s made of wood
old ‘ōhi‘a sawed into five foot lengths
or better still, thick railway ties secured
to an old telephone pole by
strong, well-oiled hinges.
Or maybe galvanized pipe two inches in diameter
welded by uncle and sprayed Krylon black
huki the gate—
some days, it’s the gate from hell.
the barbed wire kine, with two rotted poles and no support.
You lift up the latch and it sags to the ground
like a rusted barbed accordion
just daring you to learn how to play it.
huki the gate—
careful not to drop it,
cuz you no like hea Uncle Frank scold,
“NEVAH GET OFF YAW FAWKIN HAWS!
WAT? YOU LIKE MAKE?!”
grip it tight with your right hand,
steer your horse with your left,
hold it up, get a grip, maneuver it in place
tap chestnut flanks with your left leg, then right, then left,
guide your horse through with patience
and fortitude.
huki the gate—
you’re only halfway pau,
sometimes your mount has a mind of his own.
huki the gate—
steady hands and temper are your best allies,
tugging and pulling gate and horse simultaneously
into proper position
huki the gate—
every seasoned paniolo knows
good fences make good neighbors
but getting through good gates
gets you where you want to go.
Scheme | Abcxdxxxx Axxexx Axxxxxxxx Axxxfg Agxxxdhxhxx Acx Axef Axbxx |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 101 1011110 101101 100110111 10111111 111101 01011111 0110110101 10110 101 11101101101 11101101111 1101011010 0101101111 111011 101 10010111 11101111 11101111 110111101 1111011 11110 11010111000100 101100111 101 1110111 01101111010101 11101011101 101010100 1101111111 101 101111 111111011 111111 1111 1111111 111111 111101010101 11111111111 1111110 010 101 110111 0111101111 101 10101011110 1001010101000 0110010 101 1001011 1101110 110111 1111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,809 |
Words | 360 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 9, 6, 9, 6, 11, 3, 4, 5 |
Lines Amount | 53 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 172 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 41 |
About this poem
for Kauaʻi paniolo Uncle David Hepa and Uncle Keoki Ka‘eo “I was raised in a rich and vibrant paniolo (cowboy) culture on the island of Kauaʻi. Most people think of Hawaiʻi as only sun, sand, surf, and hula. But there are myriad cultural traditions that span over two centuries of migration and settlement in Hawaiʻi, from Asia to North America to Europe, that influenced Indigenous Hawaiian cultural practices. ‘Huki’ means to pull, and thus, open. The ability to successfully open and close a gate from horseback is critical for any cowboy or cowgirl; using Hawaiian language and Hawaiian Pidgin culturally anchors the poem to Hawaiʻi, commemorating my Hawaiian paniolo upbringing. ” —kuʻualoha hoʻomanawanui more »
Written on 2022
Submitted by Drone232 on May 20, 2022
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:48 min read
- 12 Views
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"Huki the Gate" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/127944/huki-the-gate>.
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