In “The Old Woman’s Message,” by Kumalau Tawali, the first five lines of the poem are an important part of the message, which is mentioned in the title. The poem, overall, is about a woman—a mother—who is dying and wants her sons to come back to her before she passes. She is sad that they are gone and have stayed away for so long, when other mothers’ sons return. They are possibly away working, but in her desperation and love, she longs to see them one last time.
The first five lines of the poem are the action and driving force for the rest of the poem. The speaker, who is the mother, gives a message to take to her missing sons. Asking someone to stick the message in their hair is like saying to put the message somewhere safe where you can carry it with you. She tells the person to take the words (her message for the boys to return to her) to her two sons, Polin and Manuai.
She speaks of ripe fruit falling and returning to the trunk, which is a way of saying that her grown sons should return to their mother. The speaker expresses concern and sadness that her sons have not returned to her and may not before she dies.
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