Ancestral Graves, Kahuku (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Garrett Kaoru Hongo
- First Published: 1988
- Type of Work: Poem
- Genres: Poetry
- Subjects: Murder or homicide, Death or dying, Buddhism, Japanese Americans, Hawaii, Cemeteries, Graves
“Ancestral Graves, Kahuku” is a deeply personal poem of Garrett Hongo that emphasizes tragic aspects of his original Japanese American community in Hawaii. The poem begins as the persona drives to the cemetery of his ancestors on Hawaii. He is accompanied by an unidentified guest, who may be the wife of the author who joined Hongo on his first return to Hawaii when he was in his thirties, or a close friend, or a poetic stand-in for the reader. The path toward the cemetery leads to images of decay, such as a rusting sugar mill, a derelict gas station, a ghost town, and an abandoned...
[The entire page is 676 words long]
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