It was four years ago this month, Karima was sitting, reading in her garden

 It was four years ago this month,  Karima was sitting, reading in her garden, most likely a book of verse, when someone said to her,
“I am watching the Discovery Channel on my television and they are talking about a strange virtual world, they call it Second Life.”
Luckily she was reading on her laptop (smiles) so she put in the address he told her, and before she knew it, she was yelling from the garden to the house,
“Oh what fun, I will make an avatar, and choose a name.
I am going to be “the girl-next-door model”
“What do you think of the name “Karima Hoisan”?
“Ha ha I am learning how to fly.”
“I just had a conversation with a parrot”
“This looks pretty amazing… Come see!”
I took the first photograph of myself, which would be the first of thousands, and not knowing how to use my camera very well, was a straight noob shot from behind.

and then I fell off of Avatar Island and landed on what would be my home..forever

 and then I fell off of Avatar Island and landed, on what would be my home…forever.
How many memories, tears, laughter, learning curves, creative flops and successes, loves, losses, dreams in windlight, frustrations, and moments of utter bliss, in these last four years?!! Family was born, and some were lost, friends were made, tested with time and they lasted..some left themselves  along the way, and didn’t make it to today, while some disappeared into the night, like fog.
If I had it to do all over again, I would in a heart beat.
Second Life  changed my life in way, that four years later I am coming to understand, and to harvest and collect the creative fruits, daily, monthly, yearly.
Then one year ago this month, an idea that was born almost in the first few weeks of my Second Life journey, was realized in the publishing of my first poetry book in world, entitled, “Digital Rabbit Hole” My publisher BellaLuna Galaxy suggested, no actually she insisted, I start a blog too at the same time, to promote my book,  announce my readings, or for whatever I might want to share with those who enjoyed my poetry. I could not imagine at the time, what I would ever say in a blog, and fought this idea, pretty insistently…until I lost. I was sort of like a SouthPark character walking away, mumbling to herself,
“Ok. Ok. I’ll keep a blog (grrr) Sheesh@!”
Now a year later, I look back so fondly, and see BellaLuna knew what I never could imagine, that a blog, takes on its own life, and through it, I have had so many incredible experiences, and inspirations, so many friends, who I connected with even more deeply by sharing my posts with them, and the whole year has been an amazing experience. I tried, sometimes less successfully than others, new things, new mediums for me and art forms. Stories were born, videos were made, and adventures were had.
If I had it to do all over again, I would in a heart beat.
I close with this video, the first ever made for me, by my friend Fidel, another Second Life jewel discovered when I wasn’t even looking for jewels. This was the promotional video for my official book launching on Galaxy Isle, and those who were there, will testify that we crashed the sim that day. Milestones and Memories of December! Thank you all for making my Second Life and this blog such a joyous experience for me.. Happy Holidays to you, and thank you for letting me show and share and learn to love you.

Thin Air

In this thin air of real life
Only duty can call me to return
For nothing is as glorious as a
Sunset in windlight,
Descending sphere we’ve come to love
Hypnotizing glow and burn.

Oh Second Life you swallowed me
Took me by surprise,
Creative rapture!
I am the willing victim
Of your virtual possession,
Digital rabbit hole…
How you enthrall then capture.

I dream in your reflecting colors
Of shifting shapes,
I weep to see so much beauty on your  shores,
And in the souls of
Some few special ones
I find I burst into
Emoting seeds and spores.

I stand in awe and let myself be moved.
Love here knocks , it calls in  many ways.
My door is always open
To your changing scenes,
My heart expands with each
Oxygen -rich day

I breathe you in,
Thick..
so full of life, spontaneous laughter
How thin the air above ,
all day the grey it makes me choke,
I almost lost the will to live
just could not see a why for it
‘Til I was rezzed upon your land
Oh, changed forever after.

Karima Hoisan
March 21,2008
Costa Rica

An excerpt from
“Digital Rabbit Hole”
copyright 2010 all rights reserved