Tuesday in the Time of Covid

Last night's pink supermoon as seen from north shore Kauai

"The coal company came with the
world's largest shovel
And they tortured the timber and
stripped all the land
Well, they dug for their coal till the land
was forsaken
Then they wrote it all down as the
progress of man."
                           -- John Prine

The island of Kauai has cracked down with 60 citations for violating the public quarantine of beaches, public places and the night-time curfew.

A tourniquet has been placed on tourism, the lifeblood of Hawaii. Since the beginning of April, only 63 people have arrived on the island, compared to nearly 11,000 during the same period last year.

The caseload of Covid-19 on Kauai has reached 16.

The rooster that sleeps in the Puakenikeni tree below our bedroom has upped his schedule with daily crows at 2:30am, breaking a silence that is so quiet I cannot hear myself thinking. No noise is, however, wonderful for sleeping.

The same big-bird rooster gives a repeat call at 5:30 am. The second calling is answered by other roosters in the neighborhood, followed by a chorus of cock-a-doodle-dos every 8-15 seconds.

I believe there are now more chickens on the island than people.

Family outing

A bright and full "pink supermoon" shone last night as dark and light clouds danced around it. I stood out in the street with nobody around and stared at the glowing orb, which was not pink, for about 10 minutes.

Spiritually, the pink moon refers to rebirth, a common theme for spring. An encouraging sign.

I felt like a dark statue: an image of a person standing next to a Monkeypod tree, floating through space. It reminded me of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's "The Little Prince" standing next to the Bayobob tree.

I am no prince. Not anymore.

I am 73-years-old, the same age as John Prine when he died from Covid-19 complications the other day.

I read his obituary in the New York Times. Everyone should read it. Most poignant to me were the comments by readers who so loved him, his words and his melodies. Although a humble, quiet man, I learned from his fans that he had a most powerful effect on their lives.

He was also highly regarded by his contemporaries including Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and Bonnie Raitt who said of John Prine.

"He's a true folk singer in the best folk tradition, cutting right to the heart of things, as pure and simple as rain."