Putting on a Queen.
Holoku ‘Ele ‘ele (Black Holoku)
Ha (Breath)
Asthma and Aloha.
Ipu (Gourd/Percussion Instrument)
Waiting on a subway platform was part of my daily commute for almost 10 years. Expressing down to 14th Street from Times Square to pick up the local to Canal and Varick. Waiting on the platform, listening to the number 2 wiz by on its way to Brooklyn. The sound of train connecting with track. A…
Ekolu Makou (We Three)
When my maternal grandparents left Wahiawa, Oahu in 1959 to come and live with their eldest daughter's family in Maryland, our house became a multi-generational home. As I think back on the first home we shared, I can't for the life of me figure out how we all fit into that little split-level: Mom, Dad, me and two brothers…
Na Pua Nani (Beautiful Flowers)
As a child studying hula with my mother as teacher, one of the first things I learned to do was make a flower (pua) with my hands. I learned to pick a flower by pointing my hand downward and bringing my fingers together. And by turning this hand up counter-clockwise with my fingers still closed,…
Tutu (Grandmother)
The impending birth of my first grandchild - yes, a boy - is an unknown joy. New territory. Four more months of preparation and my thoughts turn to the wonder of having a boy-child in the family. My experience is with girls who are now women. Fierce, independent and loving. Married to good men. Working…
