Spin Cycle
Moana, (ocean in Hawaiian) Her power was revealed to me in the shallow surf at Queen’s Beach in Waikiki at age four.
Spin Cycle
When I was four, my Uncle invited me to the beach with his sons. He drove us to Waikiki and parked at Queen’s Beach. The blue sky and water were strikingly similar; the sun was bright, and the trade winds cooled me off. I could hear the wind rustling the coconut trees, the sound of people talking and laughing in the distance was like white noise. We settled on the shore, where my uncle proceeded to show my cousins something in the sand. They were huddled so close I couldn’t see what Uncle was showing them.
So, I wandered off near the water’s edge. The transparent water felt light and cooled my feet. I stepped further down the sand and into the water. Suddenly, I slipped into a sandy trough as a breaking wave approached, and I was swept down and around in the water. I saw the sandy bottom with tiny schools of fish, water blurred the sunlight streaming through, and I gasped for air, swallowing salty water, sputtering, and tumbling. I washed ashore as the backwash receded; sand and small coral rubble made its way to the bottom of my suit. My heart was pounding; I strained for air, and tears streamed down my face.
I scanned the beach for my uncle and cousins; they were still huddled together. No one saw what happened. I felt scared and lonely. I envied my cousins—they had both parents. My father was always working. That day, I developed a fear of drowning and a deep respect for Moana, the Hawaiian word for Ocean.
Maggie Yee • She / Her • Born 1955, Honolulu, Hawaii. Current Residence Santa Cruz, California
Hawaiian-born, third-generation emigrant of Chinese and Filipino descent, Maggie Yee is primarily an acrylic painter. Her other passion is combining found and new objects. As the last child of four kids divorced parents, and absent siblings, drove her to divert her energies to creativity. Trauma in her formative and early life influenced her to look at the world and mankind with cynicism. Indulging in sitcoms of the 60’s was a short escape, creativity proved long- lasting. She is inspired by her reactions to her past experiences, pop culture, and empathy emerge in provocative visuals.
