” What are you looking for, down there in the weeds by the highway?”
Watercolor: AI Generated Art by Dale Innis
Storm -green,
like faded parrot feathers,
change the sky from blue to
something’s – coming – soon.
The barometer,
slides down a reed,
as if sucking the oxygen
from the air..
As the clouds,
nimbously tumble in,
everything is yellow green:
could be a storm cell
most likely starting soon.
I know this foreboding hue of brew;
back in the Midwest, where I went to school,
we searched beyond the Maples and the silos,
straining to see the horizon…
we called it…. Tornado Weather.
Before the thunder and the electric cymbals
and the hail, we were trying to get home.
That eerie hello-green sky,
was no longer our gentle Mother Earth.
We had been transported
to a hostile, liquid gaseous atmosphere
a late alien afternoon, laser sky
charged with electric current
ice grenades being hurled
heralding dangerous winds,
with capricious funnels,
dropping down in a faraway field,
sounding like a freight train,
derailing on the track.
But my house was closer,
and we threw ourselves down
the basement stairs,
with a loaf of bread
and peanut butter…
until the sirens wailed
“All Clear”
and Mother Earth,
in peaceful blueness
reclaimed her atmosphere.
Karima Hoisan
April 25,2022
Costa Rica
Digital Rabbit Hole 
That green-sky weather is so intimidating! Beautifully described, thank you. 🙂
(And honored you chose that image for it ☺️)
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My pleasure..your prompts have inspired some very bizarre AI generated Art, Dale…When I saw this image…this poem came to mind… but weeks passed until..all the words came together:) So glad you approved of what was born:)
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Wonderfully described – I will never see another storm-celled sky without thinking of parrot feathers and you.
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Awww Linda thank you so much and yes!! You know that color well…all your life..I’m sure.. Every once in a while , here in Costa Rica the sky turns this color..but rarely is a tornado on the horizon (Alhamdulillah!!) Thank you for your wonderful comment… Big Hugss
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You drew me right into that terrifying scene, vividly and skillfully.
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Ohh thank you..I was hoping to be able to do that:) Thank you again for your great feedback
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Of course. You are a very talented writer and artist. Keep up the awesome work!
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vividly expressed! i remember this from the arkansas ozarks😳 thanks for the journey🙏🏼❤️
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Aww thank you J. yes I was rolling down nostalgia lane when I saw that weird green AI painting.. Thank you for relating and for commenting!
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You colored a beautiful sky and picturesque story so beautiful of our mother earth Karima! Well done my friend!
💖💖
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Thank you so much Cindy…yes my high school nostalgia days come into view, when I think of living in Wisconsin and going to school.. and the changing skies we learned to read as well as our books:):)
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You’re so welcome Karima! Oh that is so lovely and what a gift to have that color in the sky in your memory bank! 💖💖
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Very vivid imagery, and again your poetry is much more than just the sum of its words ❤ You drew me right into the scene, and I got a few goose bumps there. (The peanut butter sandwich made it a bit easier then 🙂 ) Hugs!
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Awww thanks Joey and…yes…comfort food after a run for your life is very needed:):) I love how you enter my scenes.. and make them your own..feel them, from the inside out:) Big Hugs Joey…maybe see you in SL later:):)
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Funny, at the exact time I sat down to read this, the tornado siren’s weekly test just went off! So we had the sound effect to accompany this poem! How’s that for a cool bit of synchronicity?
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Wow…that is crazy!! Amazing timing indeed..and so glad it was just your weekly test too:) Thank you for sharing the synchronicity….love when things so far away…align:)
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Excellent post, Karima! The words of your poem conjure clear vignettes and the watercolour defines it visually in the most appealing and apt manner.
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Thank you so much Harshi.. for your beautiful comment. I am so glad you mentioned the watercolor too.. It does set the rural scene for “something’s – coming – soon” Thank you for your constant support..Hugss
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How gorgeous this poem is! I love the word flow and imagery, and especially the last lines!
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Hi Jaya so glad you enjoyed reading it:) Yes it was a memory that came flowing out when I saw that weird watercolor.. The last lines are even in rhyme and very assuring..that Life goes on as we expect it:) Happy you liked that it ended on a good note and with peanut butter sandwiches yet (as we say in Milwaukee)
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This write speaks to me of Nature’s immense power. A power that can be very scary, and exquisitely beautiful at the same time, such as this write, so eloquently expressed. Wonderful write, Karima. I adore the colors and the overall feel and flow of this write. ❤️🌹✨🤗🦋
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Oops sorry Jeff..I missed your comment. Thank you so much for your positive feedback on this poem..I totally agree.. Nature can be awe-inspiring to the point of frightening and then change in a minute and the gentle sun breaks out and blue skies return. So glad you enjoyed the flow of this memory…❤️🤗🦋🌹
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It’s totally okay, Karima. Happens to me all the time. I think there’s one more comment of mine hiding from you too, on your most recent balloon post, which I loved, by the way. I enjoyed this memory very much. You’re most welcome, my dear friend. Always. ❤️🤗🦋🌹
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Oh gosh! Hailstorm weather in Wisconsin, the thunder building each morning and then the brief downpours in Florida, but the real beauty was to walk in the steamy forests in summer in the Tatra mountains and then await the afternoon deluge followed by a beautiful evening sun. Nature has a wonderful way of capturing our interest and setting imagination free. Here I enjoy the seasons in the UK, blossom time in my garden at the moment.
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Loved your memories David…Yes, I went to high school outside of Milwaukee in Wisconsin..That color..that weather was learned quickly about what it could bring:) I agree with you about Nature, “captivating our interest” in Dominical (Costa Rica) when I was young, we had no electricity for 10 years…Nature was our Big HD Movie screen and for a sunset at the beach..we all gathered in the afternoons to oooh and awe:) Thank you for your lovely comment.
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Such terrifying scene expressed so beautifully with so much depth…the impressions of this poem will forever be left…coz the imagery is so intense…the artwork you’ve chosen for your poem is perfect…The nature is beautiful, caring and powerful, raw when it’s naked…beautiful poem, my dear friend 💫
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Wow thank you dear Navin..I am so sorry I missed your comment until now. I am so pleased you felt the power of the storm in my lines.. The AI painting is really so provocative too..Nature is gorgeous but when it shows us just a hint of its power…Wow, it is awe-inspiring!! Thank you, my friend for your thoughtful comment on my verse.🙏
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Very true, it’s awe inspiring…you’re very welcome, my dear friend ✨❤️🙏
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What an incredibly beautiful write my friend. Karima you put us right in the middle of this canvas you have colored with nature and her beauty even in her raging which indeed she does. I love the beautiful ending as well. One can smell the storm coming while reading. Blessings and much love my friend. Love you, Joni xoxoxoxo
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Awww thank you Joni///you are one of the few who slide right into my scenes, my poetry. Ahh yes the happy ending after the big adrenaline rush…Green turns to blue and we are home again…Our reality returned and preserved:) Feeling so close to danger, the joy of survival is even greater. Love you too my poet, my sweet Joni❤️🤗
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You are so welcome. You are such a beautiful poet. Sending lots of love and hugs dearest Karima. ❤️🦋❤️
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