Update! Yesterday on the train I made some actual vocabulary aaaaand tried my hand at writing! So far the grammar is: Do what toki pona does, except there is some more specific vocabulary, and there's a weird construction for "to be" and for comparatives. Diggit.
pan gha ka dang ? What do I want?
pan gha ka ti: pan gim ah. I want this: I am a man.
kham ti xan, pan m gim ah. Now, I am not a man.
xim pan li lhu ka xim sum. My sibling has another sibling.
xim sum ti li gham ka sang wam. That other sibling has an impressive knife.
sang wam ti li xhung. That impressive knife is green.
sang wam xhung ti li sang dhang. That green, impressive knife cuts well.
tham tum ling pi pan xan, xim pan li gham ka sang. In my wooden house, my sibling has a knife.