Me Lom Me Lom (Nostalgia)

I was living on my island. No worries at all.

I grew up on taro, breadfruit, coconut, noni and afuch and I was sated.

Fish was plentiful and they splashed and frolicked in my back yard - the lagoon.

There was never any need for refrigeration as everything was picked or caught only when ready to be consumed.

O, but we preserved breadfruits that became the scrumptious “maar”- the food of the gods.

I was never sick as there were never any plague, STD’s, hepatitis, cancer, diabetes or AIDS.

I didn’t have Ibuprofens and Acetaminophens, insulin and metformin or any dialysis equipments. And I didn’t need them. I found remedies all around me.

I was a star pupil even though I did not read any textbook, write any essay or learn Spanish, German, Japanese or English.

I never learned geography but I could easily name every pieces of rock and sea mounts between Mili and Tobi.

I never had any compass or navigation instruments. “Apiileng” was my chart, the stars, the winds, the waves and the drifters, my instruments.

I never learned meteorology but I could accurately forecast rains and squalls and changes in weather without the aid of any satellite image.

I never had any radio or cable TV but I could get news and information from dreams, from signs and symbols in driftwood, from sightings of unusual fish or birds, from thunders, and from the century-old oracles.

I didn’t go to any court and didn’t need any lawyer to advise and rob me blind. The traditional chiefs were the judges, the mediators, the conflict resolvers and peacemakers.

I didn’t need a belt and tie as I never needed trousers and suits. I was most comfortable in a “weiweita” and in my birthday suit.

I never relied on fossil fuels to power my boat. Instead of gasoline, my canoe ran with the wind and on harmony and sweat.

I never heard about sea-level rise due to global warming. I walked and fished the reefs during low tides and I was never aware that someday my island will be underwater as a result of someone else’s poor stewardship.

I was happy and carefree. I enjoyed life without any reservations. Nobody told me it was a sin to have everything and enjoy them, too. And nobody ever told me that all good things must, sooner or later, come to an end.

And then . . . a large boat with many white sails appeared on the horizon.

And the beginning of the end came upon the Mortlock Islands.