look into the
ever deepening blue
and see the face of god
embellished in dancing formless clouds.
mount haleakalā thrives
in the house of the sun—
a giant lifted out of the pacific
to cast its immense shadow
over the rugged coast
which encircles this island paradise.
rising well above the clouds—
floating in the eternal sea of white,
to look out beyond the summit—
there is only a deep penetrating blue—
the blazing sun does little to warm bodies
chilled in the brisk mountain breeze.
it has been said by the ancients
that the demigod maui
and his mother conspired
to capture the sun at this summit
and so doing lengthened the days
which brought plenty to this island of delight,
yet it is the timelessness
of the vast open planet
that is found upon its apex—
in all directions
there is an unbounded clarity—
for, to see all of existence
in the yielding pallid clouds
and the endless azure sky,
this is truly peace on earth
where heaven knows no equal.
