Was It The Spice?

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Karima Hoisan

(please open the music link in a new tab to enjoy while you read the story)
music:Mara Yhaninie

Last Saturday I found myself back on Splintered Rock, a wonderful creative sci-fi desert outpost role play sim owned and run by the constable Darren Green(vooper werribee)
It had been quite a while since I entered into any deep RP there, but I was invited to have my “mugshot” taken anyway. The creators of Combat Cards were making a Splintered Rock deck of cards, and I was to be one of the characters. My character as a Desert Native, had retreated to her tent in the high hills of Wadi Emet and was studying, meditating and writing quite a lot of poetry, so it was nice to see a few of the fellow residents there lining up to be photographed.

Darren Green and Ariadne Fall keeping order on the set

I was most impressed by the photographer, Osprey Therian, an ebony beautiful alien who seemed to really know what she was doing.

The beautiful and talented photographer Osprey Therian

I put on my favorite belly dancing gesture and felt the heat of the dry wind  hit me in the face. I remembered the smells, the skyline and it was a great feeling to be back in this part of the world.

Osprey Therian, Albert Starsmith & his Lady Mocha Velde and myself

I danced…Osprey snapped, and a subtle music of missing this part of the desert began to play in my heart. Maybe it was the spice that had turned my normally very dark eyes into a shade of violent indigo, but I was filled with nostalgia for this unique and creative sim and the people who live and play on it.

I danced…Osprey snapped

When she finally yelled “Cut! We are finished” I was hot and thirsty, ready to make the very long and perilous trek back to my home, the neighboring sim of Wadi Emet. Although I enjoyed the company of long-time residents I had not seen, it was time to return to my Bedouin tent hidden high in the hills where I was quite accustomed to habitual hermiting.

“Cut”, I heard her say and breathed a sigh

Mediating at home Shai-Hulud the Sand Worm below

Was only home a few minutes, when to my surprise I had visitors come up the hill and ascend upon my tent. As I am a traditional welcoming desert hostess, I invited them in, even if one was a non-humanoid creature, an otter to be exact, and the other was a humanoid but dressed in clothing that I had only seen in a history book of Old Earth from the Warhol Pop Period. I am not used to guests of this type, but I was gracious, as is our Native custom, and motioned them to sit by my fire as I proceeded to make my special blend of spice and cardamom coffee. Just for good measure, I added an extra pinch of spice to the mix. The sun was beginning to set as I served them their first cup.

Just for good measure I added an extra pinch of spice to the mix

The otter, also known as Scottius Polke, seemed to relish the coffee and drank it down in one gulp although I had warned him it was spiced. Non-humanoids are very hard to reason with sometimes, and this one was an artist on top of it…really almost impossible!

Scottius Polke  “He drank the coffee down in one gulp”

My other visitor turned out to be an artist too, Chrome Underwood, a throw- back from the retro days on Old Earth.

Chrome Underwood who appeared to be from the Warhol Pop Period

He also chug-a-lugged his drugged coffee, not heeding my warnings either. Oh well….what could I do but wait to see any adverse effects?

Chrome began to leviate while in typing mode a few minutes later

It didn’t take long to see the effects. As I picked soothing chords on my Kalika to entertain them, Chome began to levitate in typing mode a few minutes later. I looked over at the otter and he seemed to have gone unconscious, was inert, his little neck-less head fallen to one side. Chrome was declaring over and over that his levitating was a miracle and had nothing to do with the  over-dosed ingestion of melange spice. Oh artists!

Scottius was nodding and Chrome preparing to levitate

“… his little neck-less head fallen to one side…”

I all of a sudden realized I was the only conscious one in my tent. The snores and occasional babblings of  the otter were now offset by the fact that not only was Chrome hovering in the air in lotus position but he had gone unconscious too

Chrome was not only hovering in lotus position~ he was unconscious too

The wind howled, my guests were mute, only the sweet sounds of the mournful strings of the fine-tuned Kalika pierced the desert night air’s silence. Was it the spice?

The End

Posted in Slices of Second Life | Tagged , | 9 Comments

“A Story Full Of Bull”

Posted on January 15, 2011 by Karima Hoisan

I invite you to open this music link in a new tab to play and enjoy while reading the story)
music: “Lauren’s walking” by Angelo Badalamenti \”Lauren\’s walking\” ~Angelo Badalamenti

One day in 2008, I was sitting on my ranch on Costa Rica Sims wishing I could find a Brahma Bull. I had horses and chickens and even a goat but no bull. I looked all over Second Life and came up with nothing. I knew a clever builder at the time named Laan, and I asked him if it were possible to make one . He said, “Get me pictures and I will try.” So I scoured all the best Google shots I could find and sent them to him. I had a bucking bull, a Longhorn which looked like this:

My neighbor at the time Knor Lane showing off his winning style

I was really hoping to have a bull that looked like this:

This is how we grow them in Costa Rica

Laan the builder_Vector the sculptie and 2008 me

Well Laan made a beauty in record time, but it had a  problem, it was stationary and I was hoping it could move and look more alive. So I remembered a scripter I serendipitously found myself riding a floating  bed in La Reve with one night, all very innocently, and I contacted him and asked if he would be interested in helping me out. I had a beautiful sculpted bull, but not animated and I wanted to see him alive and hear him bellowing.

A night in La Reve brought Epic the Scripter into the larger picture

I contacted Epic and he threw himself into the challenge.  I understood  through many communications from him in mysterious script-geek language, that because the bull was never made, thinking it might some day be asked to animate, it had to be deconstructed and reconstructed with that possibility in mind. I sent him a full perm bull and he was taking him apart in no time.

Epic stripping the Vector down to his bare essentials

All kinds of odd experiments and tests were tried on poor Vector

In the end, sheer will on the part of Epic was needed to pull Vector into line.  He called it  a “Mexican stand-off” and at times it was anyone’s guess who might win it:

A "Mexican stand-off" of wills _Vector and Epic

It was even necessary at times for the scripter to change hair and bring Vector to me wherever he could find me to show me his latest small successes in bringing life to a stubborn sculptie. You have heard of a “Bull in a China Shop” ..well  this is  a Bull in a Dockside Bar in New Orleans.

Epic and Vector on the dancefloor at Kari's Bar and Dance New Toulouse

Finally after many days and even weeks of trial and error, Epic tp’d me up to his sandbox and while we were just exchanging casual greetings, I looked over at Vector and…”He raised his head and cocked his eye” I started to cry. I guess if you remember I am a sensitive poet, my reaction was not so unexpected, but I did..I saw an idea just an idea, come into shape and then come alive before my eyes. It was such a proud moment I felt like the mother of a bull who had two proud fathers and I snapped a picture quickly to never forget this rush of exhilaration flowing in that second.

Magic! The day Vector was born. Epic & I staring on proudly

Then….
I wrote this poem

Hello Avatar!
for Epic

What is life, if not but an idea?
Before The Word there was a thought
Take a sculpted beauty and dissect it
breathe in the kiss of existence
with your other passion still  so intact.

Late hours and numbers caress the spark
that lives in you and whips you  on
a true god in a sandbox, that elusive number
the starting point.and then it moves..
Witness to the creation
I am called also back to the living
Oh to build is precious,
but to animate is divine!.

Karima Hoisan
Finca le Generosa
Costa Rica Sims SL
July 14. 2008

After that I took him back to my ranch where he was well-fed, well cared for, ridden to keep him friendly and entertained by flamenco dancers on a daily basis, and this helped him get over his initial aversion to the color red too. Through the miracle of virtual cloning he had many just like himself to keep him company, but if you ever come to visit my ranch (and you all are most welcome) you will recognize Vector from all the rest as he is the only one who has a gold piece of  ring piercing  in his nose to show him off as the original bull of this story.

Henri Godenot, myself and DANY Bimbogami ~Vector below

Karima & Dany flamenco dancing while Vector looks on contentedly.

The End

Posted in Poems, Slices of Second Life | 10 Comments

What Might Happen If….

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Karima Hoisan

…you take a musician like Tukso Okey…


"Tukso Okey at his Club Resin"

…and a poet like Karima Hoisan…

...sunsets and poppy-fields to paint an inspiration..."

…sit them both down at a table…

..."sounds like a plan," they said...

to plan an event for Feb. 3rd at 7pm slt at
“Kari’s Kantina Del Mar”???

"Kari's Kantina del Mar" Linc Island SL

Just About Anything!!!

(stay tuned for details)


Posted in Announcements, General Discussion, Live Shows | 1 Comment

“On The Rocks At Coca Falls”

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Karima Hoisan

"...The pounding of the falls rings in our ears..."

“On The Rocks At Coca Falls”
for Littleone Aries the artist
inspired by the painting of the same name
music: Dancing Shadows..Armik \”Dancing Shadows~ Armik
(please open music link in a new tab to enjoy listening while you read the poem)

When sunset sits over the farthest waves,
And chickens one by one climb to their tree,
The air drops to a cooling breeze and lays
Upon the afternoon smell of the sea.

The livestock fed, the gates now shut and locked,
And we with pails and shovels breathe a sigh,
For calling to us from the crimson rock
Is our relief in streaming soothing tides.

We make our way to wet and glassy pools,
The pounding of the falls rings in our ears,
And we rejoice removed now from our tools
Our labors seem as far away as years.

Ideas come so quickly with no thought,
We make up games and lose to them and laugh,
Some droplets in a spider’s web are caught
We contemplate its colors in our bath.

Under the falls we can be young again
Our sweat and heaviness gone from our day
We smile and watch the sun as it descends
revived and cleansed, our toils now rinsed away.

Karima Hoisan
Dec. 18, 2010
Born Museum of Fine Arts SL

Posted in Poems | 1 Comment

“Drain”

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Karima Hoisan

"...some swept away, some carried down the drainpipe..."

” Drain”
inspired by the painting FL-Art-(10×6.25)-016 panel by Fiona Leitner

music: “Fields of Coral” ~Vangelis
\”Fields of Coral\”~ Vangelis
(please open music link in another tab to enjoy while reading the poem)

Dripping doubts in splashes fall to gutter littered streams,
some swept away, some carried down the drainpipe.
Doors and windows chalk- marked on the boards of homeless dreams
shaded shadow -pipes now clogged, metallic grease fed tripe.

Chaos paints no patterns while breaking everything below,
the steam -release, a holiday for frigid huddle squatters.
Murder, lies and blood still seeps, red droplets mixed aglow
all gets trapped obsessed inside a thought flow undertow,
and sly envy is the beggar watching others eat inside a warm cafe.

Sinister,
the urban skyline floating in a purple fog naked and unclad,
while order is a cold wrought iron fence trying to hold it in.
Down in the bowels, stained train benches await the weary and the mad
churning under street signs, garbaged walls, cold- stoned graffiti bins.

Walking late at night is like a nightmare. It yanks you out the door.
Everything is ominous, kindness retreats in faded vapor threats.
Always underneath, the bubbling of conspiracy, a gurgling form its’ core,
slick tongues massage the ear, while a dagger slips in dry and comes out wet .
Nothing is as it was before the drain caved in and opened, freeing a dangerous suspect.

Wandering doubts, are plastered into building bricks of direful foundations.
Locked and keyed, never to see the light of surface, hazed in thickening mist,
They build a fortress to protect the city and its decaying system of filtration,
All that slips into the drain, stays on the bottom, thought of never more…
and never missed.

Karima Hoisan
Jan. 12,2011
Virtual Gallery, Linc Island SL
©2011 Karima Hoisan all rights reserved

Posted in Poems | 3 Comments

Kabuki~ Poetry~ and Smooth Sax

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Karima Hoisan

As promised on the posters and postings, Sunday Jan. 9th at Kari’s Kantina del Mar, my little seaside bolero dance spot, we tried a nice mix of SL live artistic entertainment in the form of Kabuki theater, stream -weaving poetry and good smooth sax. Adam Luponox was the welcoming host for this two -hour event of live talent and the sim began to fill up quickly.

photo by Missy Rothmanay

"The Garden" performed by Mojo and Luckymoon Manamiko

Mojo and Luckymoon Manamiko delighted the audience with their presentation of “The Garden” a Kabuki-styled original play, performed on a beautifully decorated stage with scene changes between acts and a touchingly written narration accompanied by the sounds of sweet Oriental strings on the music stream.

My SL sister Maria Vought and well-known artistic otter Scottius Polke

The audience applauded enthusiastically between acts. The actors costumed in traditional robes moved, danced and pantomimed the storyline for the enjoyment of all.

Luckymoon and Mojo Manamiko performing

The audience was mesmerized as the play moved into the last act

The finale was a moving and brilliant fireworks display that miraculously worked perfectly, defying lag and many script -heavy patrons  that filled up the seating to capacity.

All applauded delightedly when the finale burst into a light show

After the applause died down we  moved up the stairs to the bolero bar, where I leaped up on the small balcony stage and began to read on stream with my chosen music to a capacity crowd of 46 avatars at the peak. From my end it was wonderful and from what I could read in chat, it seemed the audience also agreed. I will include a few pictures from this part of the event and also a sound clip of a live reading of one of the poems. The waves crashed below… the night was full-mooned and magic was in the air.

Karima on stage at Kari's Kantina de Mar

I put up images on a screen behind me for each poem so that the audience could get a visual as well as an audio feeling of my words. As some of the poems were inspired by paintings, I feel this helped to create a more immersive experience for all present.

Karima in close-up.. the tide coming in

Karima reciting "See Frog Run" to Fiona Leitner's painting "The Grinner"

My little “Aussie Cheering Squad” found a table close to the stage and snapped most of the pictures I have now put up here. Missy Rothmanay, Sanne Brune and Stress Blister are much more than fans to me, they have become family and they loyally appear at almost every reading I have done. Sometimes they get up earlier than the birds down-under to catch a show.

Karima reciting "See Frog Run" ~photo by Missy Rothmanay

This incredible painting by Fiona Leitner, “The Grinner” is what inspired my poem, which from start to finish is similar to a marathon run. Her paintings  are up now and will be  at a special exhibition at Pirats SAS Art Gallery until Saturday, January 22. It’s a great show and I recommend it highly. Also if you would like to visit her whole collection, it can be found at “Fiona Leitner Showroom”
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Meadow%20Blossom/221/28/3901

Karima reciting "Curve" inspired by the painting "Curve" by Chrome Underwood

Another artist at the show at Pirats is Chrome Underwood, whose art just keeps on inspiring my poetry. This painting “Curve”, one of his older works, set my poetic muse on fire like a car crash. I will share now the poem “Curve” recited live at the event and hope you will click on it in a separate tab and enjoy listening. You can see the full painting and words to this poem in my post entitled “Curve”

\”Curve\” performed by Karima Hoisan Live 1-9-11

"The years go by like a shooting star" Karima Hoisan

I finished up my part of the evening  with a poem recited in “Spanglish” written first in Spanish entitled “Estrella Fugaz” in English “Shooting Star. I chose to dance this one to the music of the “Gipsy Kings” and dedicated the poem to the very talented Seba Sideways who, as soon as I turned over the stream began to play his saxophone to dreamy backtracks. Many got up to dance and the night ended with slow love songs,  some smooth reggae, and the sweet sounds of this gifted Argentine musician who never stops playing in RL or Sl. He is a professional and a great guy too. I hope to repeat another show next month at Kari’s Kantina del Mar so stay tuned to when that might be.

Dancing to the sultry sounds of a smooth sax~ a perfect ending

Posted in Live Shows, Poems | 6 Comments

“In Pain Burlesque”

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Karima Hoisan

"...so pens wobbled and fell off their desk..."

music: Unicornio Azul Silvio Rodriguez El Unicornio Azul ( please open music link in a new tab to listen to while you read the poem)

“In Pain Burlesque”
For D.R.

The saddest poem I ever tried to write
sucked all the strength from my fingers
each and every night,
so pens wobbled and fell off their desk
and keypads waved under water
everything was sinking, swaying, and stuttering
in pain burlesque.

Oh I had a few words put away just in case
you couldn’t say” I thank you too”
or  remember my name or face,
when you passed me on the street
like someone you once  knew
limping her way back home
on bleeding shoes.

The road ahead unpaved but laid in stone,
we were but a sack of unwanted kittens
on your bridge to  be thrown,
into oblivion all we might have known,
no tears for what was lost
no recognition for what was given.

The saddest poem I ever tried to write
sucked all the strength from my fingers
each and every night,
so pens wobbled and fell off their desk
and keypads waved under water
everything was sinking, swaying, and stuttering
in pain burlesque.

Karima Hoisan
April 8, 2009
Finca La Generosa

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“Minted Breath”

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Karima Hoisan

“Whiter, than marble’s light, oh skin so pale…”

music: “I Envy The Wind” by Lucinda Williams \”I Envy The Wind\”

(please open music link in new tab to enjoy while you read

“Minted Breath”
for U.

Whiter, than marble’s light, oh skin so pale,
Red, thy lips more scarlet after kissing
Silver minted breath, on chilled night’s trail
Black shone hair, moonless embrace, now missing.
Touch my heart, invite me in your veil.
Walk with me once more, in dreams of wishing.
Stop now, I press my cheek to your exhale.
Look, thine eyes betray my reminiscing.
But why? What turned this vibrancy to death?
Your life force ambles lost, unknown to me.
Because we dared to share even our breath,
Cruel offense, the eyes of jealous envy!

Torn apart, oh world, with your leave taking,
Blessed rest escapes this soul now breaking.

Karima Hoisan
Jan. 6th 2005
Jordan

Posted in Poems | 1 Comment

Jan. 9th “Kari’s Kantina del Mar”~ Kabuki~Poetry & Sax

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Karima Hoisan

Don't Miss This Great Show! Poster by Menubar Memorial

I am proud to present a really unique two-hour show at my romantic venue

”  Kari’s Kantina del Mar”

2:00 pmslt Kabuki Theatre with Mojo and LuckyMoon Manamiko performing

“The Garden” a beautiful and original script written by the performers.

2:30 pmslt Karima Hoisan on Stream. I will be reading many new poems to some well chosen music for your  listening pleasure.

3:00 pmslt The one and only, the  “saxiest sax player” in SL.Live from Argentina Seba Sideways.

Don’t miss this one!

Here is your your SL limo:http://slurl.com/secondlife/LINC%20ISLAND/23/113/24

Posted in Announcements | Leave a comment

“Poem Left At My Door”

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Karima Hoisan

"...All I did see was this small envelope..."

music:Harpsichord Concerto in F Minor ~ Bach ~ Masques

(please open music link in a new tab to listen while you read)

Poem Left At My Door
for S.

Just then the front door bell rang one more time,
but there was no one standing at the door.
All I did see was this small envelope
laid out,  abandoned on the snow washed floor.

Now opened in my hands it took new shape,
the paper stained with water, blurred and wet,
like  notes one pulls from bottles in the sea,
that float on typhoon’s waves and reach our net.

The ink and sentiment was rather dark
upon this curling  paper I could see,
yet when I stretched it out full length to read
‘Twas like one puzzle piece left here for me.

The chill of winter wind was laced in words,
of solitude, and depth with pieces missing,
the feeling was of loneliness and frost,
of shuttered rooms and painful reminiscing.

Spring returns after a bitter winter,
I saved the note not knowing now the reason
and tucked it in my box of mysteries
fragile poem birthed in blizzard’s season.

Karima Hoisan
Jan. 2. 2011
Cloud Forest Linc Island SL

Posted in Poems | 2 Comments