Digital Rabbit Hole

                                   “Hand ‘n Hand by Dale Innis on Midjourney

Please click Play to hear my recording of my poem to the beautiful piano music of
Michelle McLaughlin

Donna & Danna

Donna & Danna traversed the sand-dunes
and stopped in front of the pale blue sea.
Green skies of washed-out white clouds
met their wide-open eyes
The air smelled of bird feathers and dry seaweed
It filled their nostrils with salty breeze
below the fading sea-green skies .

They were born to be namesakes
as they carried the same name
Just the blonde was one year older
and instead of sisters,
they were next-door neighbors.

Unless you saw their names spelled out
You would think they were written the same
but one was spelled in the Italian style
and the other was spelled in the Spanish way.

They were assaulted with the sound
of waves and more,
rolling and pounding, groaning and moaning
while they constantly recreated themselves,
then lost all of their form,
when fatally crashing upon the shore.

Donna said, “I lost a ring one day
I was out in a boat when it fell into the sea
They say everything will find
its way to shore, eventually.”

I had been telling Danna that
until I myself began to believe
and in our innocence and faith
we came to the seashore, just to see
if that ring might wash up at our feet.

We were best friends so we always held hands.
Steeled with unwavering belief, we just knew
that today was the day we would find it,
sparkling in all its glorious hues,
polished, by rolling over and over in the sand
and it would be before this day finally met its end.

We kicked off our shoes and walked barefoot
along the sandy, smooth -rock shore.
Danna told me a secret that made me laugh
I told her a joke that made us giggle then roar.

The seaweed breeze, the clouds forming
horse heads and butterflies, a leafless tree
and the sun was dipping down behind the last cloud
and we looked to each other..because we were now hungry.

“Maybe only ten minutes more
before we will need to leave”
“Oh Donna, could we stay for 15?”
“I think we should go before its too dark to see.”
But then in front of their feet as if summoned by the two
was a shiny ruby ring, just showing off the reddest hues.

“Oh Donna, we found it; we found it! Danna cried”
“Oh my goodness gracious, I can hardly believe my eyes”
Donna was beside herself so totally overjoyed.
They clasped it into both their hands, each taking turns
to hold it tightly in their palm the other squeezing.

As the sound of roaring waves began to fade
on their way back home,
Donna was lost in gratitude and silent thought.
She finally decided to never tell Danna anything…
that she had just made up the story about
being out in a boat…… and losing a ring.

Karima Hoisan
May 22, 2023
Costa Rica

*Footnote: Danna is my 11 year old granddaughter but from behind, Donna on the left
reminds me of myself at that age and Danna looks like the one on the right. In Spanish we say we are “Tocayas” Which means we are namesakes of each other:)