About Me — Skye Mo’ipulelehua Kahoali’i
Are there too many me’s? There’s already two…
I came to Medium in February of 2020, a little late to the party, I guess. I had tired of the pettiness of social media, and I’m not even on Twitter! Well, very much. I have to admit I’m not sure how I found this place, I think was sharing links to some of his articles on Facebook in some of the LGBTQ+ groups I belong to.
Currently, I describe myself as a late-transitioning, bi-gender, trans femme. In the word of my people, Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian), I am māhū. This displays a quirk common in Hawai’i amongst those who are only part-Hawaiian; we often discount our other ancestries. I never say I’m Chinese or Japanese, even though combined they make up eleven sixteenths of my heritage. I might break down and admit to being Hawaiian-Chinese-Japanese, but only in situations that demand it, like U.S. Census forms.
I waited sixty-one years to come to an agreement with my other half, Brother, to “let me drive the bus” as I call it. He was fairly gracious about it, actually, conceding that if we didn’t let me do it now, I’d never get to. Besides, he’d get to “back-seat drive,” something I did for those sixty-one years.
Unlike many of my sisters, my dysphoria does not short circuit my sense of self, nor the confidence and self-esteem Brother earned for us through his own curiosity, belief in himself, and perhaps a bit too much reliance on his male privilege. In many ways, I have a lot of making up for him to people in my life because, frankly, at times he could be an asshole.
Sometimes, I’m an asshole, too. At least the trolls around here think so.
I will engage with anyone who makes ignorant statements about just about anything. I look chiefly for inconsistency in thought, logic, or emotions. I will try to read an author’s work with an open mind because, here, I find so many different points of view, even on subjects I believe I have a good grasp of.
I will often engage in a fangirl sort of way with authors who touch me positively. I mean, when they’re good, they don’t need Miss Nobody me telling them so.
Sometimes I catch myself “lecturing” in my articles and responses. Or perhaps more bluntly, mansplaining. I then have to push Brother’s face back from where he’s stuck it out from between the front seats, pointing and gesticulating while I ease on the brake until we’re stopped dead in the middle of traffic.
“Are you finished?” Sometimes, I even say that aloud to him.
People look at me strangely but since I’m of that certain age where people begin to give zero f*cks…er, cares about what others think of us, I just toss out my psychopath’s grin and move on. This particular smile keeps judgemental people away from me.
Just kidding, I don’t have a psychopath’s smile. Yet. Heh-heh-heh-heh.
Just Kidding!!!
I don’t work anymore. Everyday is Sunday.
Well, not really. I have never worked. Brother, on the other hand, spent most of his life in the blue-collar world, as a marine diesel, large truck-(think eighteen-wheeler), and heavy equipment mechanic/operator. He did try to go to the University of Hawai’i for a while between employment stints, but he’d already gotten used to regular paychecks, so that ended after two years. If he’d listened to me, I would probably now still be employed at some prestigious art gallery or museum as a gallery designer and exhibition installation consultant/specialist. *Sigh.*
He spent eight years running away from me in the Hawaii Army National Guard as an Infantry Lieutenant. Fun times for the most part, but bottom line is he was practicing to lead other men into killing people and blowing stuff up, not anywhere I want to be now, although yes, I do remember small unit tactics. I would rather concentrate on finding ways to prevent people who are like Brother was then, from having to carry out that particular occupation now, because people are precious assets. In and of themselves, and we do not need to be wasting them that way over what usually boils down to squabbles over resources.
Lately, I’ve resumed writing poetry. I started my paywall stuff here with erotica, but retook up poetic license on a couple of writing prompts by , which morphed into poetry challenges from , , , , , and .
It’s a lot of fun. This whole place is fun. I like the people here.
Even the ones I disagree with.
Random factoids:
The graphic shows my whole avatar pic and why I chose that pic.
If we go out drinking, I will have exactly one alcoholic beverage. I really can’t handle any more.
I live on Maui and have never been to Hana. I grew up in Ka’a’awa, which is pretty much O’ahu’s equivalent to Hana. Or was. It’s all McMansions now.
When I go to Planet Fitness (something woefully non-existent in the time of COVID) I dance on the treadmill. Something that will further cease in January when I’m supposed to have bi-lateral knee replacement. Unless the hospitals are too full of COVID patients, still, by then. *Sigh.*
Mo’ipulelehua means “monarch butterfly” to me. I coined it so it may not be correct. Or so says my sister, who speaks ‘ōlēlo Hawai’i.
I spend inordinate amounts of money feeding the feral chickens who hang around my yard. It’s my frivolous contribution to our mad-money economy. Plus, well, roast chicken in a pinch.
I’m much too old to be wearing cut-off shorts and camisoles in public.
I don’t care.
Mahalo nui a hui hou e malama pono,
Skye Mo’ipulelehua Kahoali’i
