comet tales

The Woman Who Was Part Fish

By Loni McKenzie

There once lived a normal, lovely woman. She put shoes on to go to work, brushed her teeth twice a day, fixed normal meals and washed the dishes afterwards. She was kind. She nodded hello to people on the street and made polite conversation with grocery clerks.

The problem is, she wasn’t normal at all. To the world she seemed to be, but in her own quiet heart of hearts, she knew she wasn’t. Her skin didn’t fit quite right, and the sun often seemed too bright. Things that made other people happy made her sad, like dance parties and amusement parks.

But what do you do if you aren’t normal, and your skin doesn’t fit?

She didn’t know. So, on she went, nodding hellos while surreptitiously tugging and pulling at her ill-fitting skin, hoping no one would notice.

One cloudless summer day, when the sun was too hot and too bright, the deep, dark, cool lake called her name. “I’ll be right there” she called back, while hastily pulling on swim clothes and searching for her underwater goggles. She vaguely remembered her skin fit quite well when she swam as a child. “Why, she must be part fish!” the grownups would laughingly say as they waved from land.

If only I were, she thought, plunging into the water. Deep, clear, cool. The loud, bright day quieted, calmed, as she sat under the water, watching bubbles slip from her mouth and float to the surface. Snorkeling along, head underwater, she fell back into the joy of her childhood. The colors! The tiny fish! The world shushed to a muffled gurgle. She swam to her favorite hidden cove where a shade dappled sunning stone stuck out above the water.

“Would you like to hear a story?” Asked the lake, as she lay back and arranged her hair in a fan about her to dry. “Yes, I would,” she replied with surprise, as she’d never heard a story told by a lake before.

“Once, a long time ago, there lived a woman who was part fish. Or maybe she was a fish who was part woman. Either way, she lived beneath the surface of the water, where it was deep enough to quiet the sounds of above, but shallow enough to see the sun sparkle. Her people had been there for generations, secure in their place. Most of them stayed and lived out their lives in their ancestral waterways, but lately there had been a calling. Not everyone heard it but for those who did, with it came a deep yearning to explore. The woman who was part fish was curious. What could make anyone want to leave? She was so happy there.”

“Early one morning, she awoke to the call. She had expected it might be loud, but she couldn’t even hear it with her ears, only deep within her bones. And, just like the others, with it came a deep yearning. For what? She didn’t know, but it moved through her with a ferocity she’d not known before. Her mother saw it in her eyes before she’d said a word. Hugging her close, she whispered, “I knew you’d hear it” and swam with her to Wise Seer.”

“My dear, your path is new” Wise Seer said. “Your work in this life is to live above the water. To learn what it is to be human and walk with your feet upon the earth. It will be hard, it might be loud and hot, they may not understand who you are. Come back to the ancestral waters often, submerge yourself completely. These waters will absorb your newfound wisdom. In this way, we will begin to understand the world above the water. Through you, the land-walkers with sensitivity might begin to understand the stories of our depths.”

“With that, she became the first Woman Who Was Part Fish to exist among the people who walk upon the earth.”

“Am I the Woman Who Was Part Fish?” the not very normal woman asked the lake.

“I don’t know,” replied lake. “Do you think you are?”

“Yes. My skin doesn’t fit quite right, the sun is too bright, and the world is much too loud.”

“Then you may be. Sit near wild water and listen for its wisdom. Be sure to listen with your bones, not your ears, for they hear wisdom more clearly.”

The woman still is not normal because she is, after all, part fish. To walk upon the earth still feels overwhelming sometimes; the sun is too bright, sounds can be sharp and loud. But to know who you are is a gift, and she carries that gift with her. It seems her skin fits better now.

paper cuts: regional collage show

The Pacific Northwest Collage Collective (PNWCC) is hosting its first regional art exhibit at Collapse Gallery in Wenatchee, July 9-31. 55 artists from Washington, Oregon, Alaska, British Columbia and Idaho were accepted into the show from an open call on Instagram. Many of the featured artists will be attending the exhibit’s opening on July 9th.

From the curators~

The work ranges from abstract to visual storytelling - showing the best collage work of the PNW. All are welcome to attend and it’s suitable for all ages.

In May of 2021, the PNWCC teamed up with Chad Yenney of Collapse Gallery and Laurie Kanyer of the Doug + Laurie Kanyer Art Collection to create this open call called Paper Cuts. The main goal was to exhibit the great works in collage and bring artists of the PNW together after a long hiatus due to the pandemic. The only requirements were that the work is analog (handcrafted, not digital) and they reside in one of the states mentioned above. Each artist could submit their best piece with no theme as a requirement. We have artwork using vintage images, embroidery, to experimentation in ink processes. We have artists that have followings on social media of over 200K like Howie Wonder, artists that are in an international collage club like Cheryl Chudyk, Tess Ettel, Anna Maddox and Lydia Selk. Our show represents a diverse group of artists from students in college to professors that have spent many years on their practice like Clive Knights. Paper Cuts is a playful name because of the kind of artwork they create. The work on display will all be the original artwork, so you will be able to see each paper cut, rip and tear created by each artist. You will be able to see the hard labor and heart that went into each piece.

Co-founders of the Pacific Northwest Collage Collective, Kellette Elliott and Laura Weiler organized this exhibit. Kellette Elliott is an art educator and working artist who has been published in magazines across the world, books and numerous freelance projects. Laura Weiler is a freelance artist with a college degree in the arts. She has used her skill in collage for album covers and large scale public art installations.

Funding for the Paper Cuts Open Call has been provided by the Doug + Laurie Kanyer’s Art Collection. Based in Yakima, Washington, the Kanyer’s mission is to be involved in the advancement of the medium through private acquisitions of fine art collages, underwriting publications, and holding open calls, exhibitions, grants and events.

Opening Reception:

July 9 4-9pm - all ages welcome. Collapse Gallery 115 South Wenatchee Ave,Wenatchee Open Fridays and Saturdays, or book appointments privately online.

For more information about this art show:

On Instagram:

@pnwccollagecollective @collapse_gallery

“Sphinx Wolf” by Sarah Best