T’was the night before Kakaako Makai
T'was the night before Christmas,
As I lay in bed
A dream of a PARK
Danced in my head!
At Kakaako Makai --
How grand it would be!
Acres of greenery,
Right next to the sea.
I had visions of children
Laughing and playing,
With birds, grass and flowers,
And trees gently swaying.
Picnics and luaus --
Wonderful sights!
Surfers and swimmers
And kids flying kites.
But then I awoke,
My dream quickly lost!
I thought for a moment:
"How much will this cost?"
Parks are expensive,
As Mufi has found.
Millions of dollars,
Preparing the ground.
And maintenance costs
Are likely to soar,
Upkeep and repairs,
Will add millions more.
We'll need plenty money ...
The state has a lot!
But Pat Hamamoto
Is eyeing that pot.
She wants air conditioning,
Paint for school walls,
New roofs for old buildings
And clean bathroom stalls.
Meanwhile in Manoa,
Our students are stressed.
The campus is crumbling,
It's really a mess.
Dorms are disgraceful,
Classrooms are hot,
Ceilings are leaking,
Elevators are shot!
A park would be nice
With those wide open spaces,
But we'd use half of them
To build parking places.
And what about nighttime --
A place where we'd go?
With drinking and drug use:
I just don't think so!
And we've got parks already,
There're two that are near,
We don't need another...
That's perfectly clear.
With all of these problems
And education so needy,
I must have been dreaming:
How foolish! How greedy!
Then in my moment
Of deepest despair,
I looked out the window
And saw Santa Claus there!
He was chubby and plump,
With a mouth rather droll.
He reached in his pack
And pulled out a scroll.
"Don't worry, my son,"
Said the jolly old man.
"I've got something special;
A magnificent plan!"
"You'll have your park space
And you'll have much, much more:
Boutiques and restaurants
And parking galore!
"A bright farmers' market
With freshly cut flowers,
Island produce and fish --
You could shop there for hours.
"Affordable housing
Is part of the mix.
And a theater for hula ...
Something else I can fix?"
"Dear Sir," I said, laughing,
"Your plan is the best.
But who'll pay for that theater
And all of the rest?"
"The people who live here
Are stretched to the max,
With all those improvements
We'll need a new tax!"
"No, no!" said Saint Nick,
"And this is what's great:
Alexander & Baldwin
Will be paying the state!"
"Oh, thank you, kind Santa,
For this glad Christmas Day!
We now have a place
'To live, learn and play'!"
Then, I heard him exclaim
From his sleigh in the sky:
"I'll see you next year
At Kakaako Makai!"
C. Richard Fassler is the author of "Rainbow Kids," a book about hapa-haole children, and an occasional contributor to the Star-Bulletin.