Reflecting On Poetry Reflections ~ Tears That Turned To Belly Dancing ~

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Karima Hoisan

The Poetry Salon on Costa Rica Sims March 29th Reading
Photo by Lawrence Pierce (Seaking Serenity)

I decided to make a new post today about an event celebrated yesterday, March 29th, something I rarely do, but I felt I wanted to share with those who could not come, as well as those who did, the photos and a very meaningful video gifted to me, all shot at this rather special poetry reading.
For me personally, every reading has a different mood, and I walk away from them when they are over, physically exhausted and mentally too at times, or exhilarated and full of a nameless joy. From this reading, yesterday, I walked away with all the above feelings, and maybe a few more, as it was a magical combination, of venue, wardrobe (people dressed so beautifully) music, moment, and connection of the audience to my words, and visa versa. Sometimes there is just a magical spirit, that blows around a room, and everyone inside feels it, perceiving it in their own way, yet collectively the results can be seen and heard. I read in chat, tears from the audience, just as I too was letting them fall. I read deep recognition and feelings that I too was feeling about the last poem, “Her Name Was Noor” and if it is true it brought sadness , it also bought those deep human emotions out that we share, sometimes not even knowing we share them. There are times when the collective releasing of those emotions, brings renewed  desires to “live,” so after the reading was over, Mariella asked me if I could put some more music on and invite those who were still there, sort of lingering, to a belly dance.
Of course I said “Yes”
I will share these pictures at the end of this post as they portray the moment of grace and release after a long, very emotional at times reading, culminating in this poem, the last poem, I will share with you now. I want to thank Nat, once again for being at my reading, filming this poem, and editing it so beautifully. For me she captured it all so well, the colors, the ambiance and the flow and feeling of the poem. Please enjoy my live reading at Poetry Reflections yesterday of “Her Name Was Noor” filmed by my friend and excellent, machinima maker Natascha Randt.

Then Nat surprised me with our belly dance caught by her hidden camera. She has a steady hand, even when she is gracefully waving it around in the air.

I wish to thank my talented and beautiful assistant, Clytemnestra, who is keeper and turner of the images I use behind me, and who sent me some of these awesome photos that I will share below. I also would like to thank Lawrence Pierce who came to my reading and took some excellent wide-screen shots, one of which heads this post, and to Beeflin Grut whose photos also appear below. Photos capture memories, and I am so grateful to those who had a presence of mind to take some yesterday, when tears turned into belly dancing, a collective, spontaneous moment that I will always remember.

"Let The Dance Begin..." photo by Clytemnestra

Color, costumes, and good dance moves- photo by Clytemnestra

Mouse-Eye View by Beeflin Grut

Men and women alike got up to dance.. photo by Clytemnestra

sharing the joy after the tears photo by Beeflin Grut

The Arabic Salon reeled in North African beats - photo by Clytemnestra

Spontaneous gyrating combustion _ photo by Clytemnestra

Hoyt Heron and Beeflin Grut strut their stuff -photo by Clytemnestra

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Karima @ Poetry Reflections ~ Costa Rica Sims of Dream Seeker Estates ~ 1PMSLT~ Thursday~ March 29th

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Karima Hoisan

I want to thank my machinimatographer friend, Natascha Randt, for taking this surprise footage of my last reading on Costa Rica Sims at my monthly poetry performance at the beautifully ornate Arabic salon,  that was built for this purpose.
I think a movie is worth maybe a thousand words times two, so I will just put it up and invite you all, those who come regularly, and maybe those who have just fallen on my page, because fate dropped you here today, to come join me this coming Thursday at 1pmslt. As you can see some of the audience did get into traditional Arab dress, so please if you feel so inclined, (but no obligation) do ransack your inventories and come up with something gorgeous and in theme. I promise to put my all into this reading, as I do every one, and I hope you will feel you were entertained royally, as if you were visiting desert Kings and Queens from neighboring lands. So I present the little movie that Natascha made, with her own special perspective, and hope you will admire the ceiling as well as the rest of the decor, along with come clips of my reading. Below the machinima, I will include the LM for the luxury camel caravan that will drop you at the door, at Poetry Reflections~Costa Rica Sims at Dream Seeker Estates.

Poetry Reflections Slurl to get you there. Hope to see you Thursday!!

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“Drunken Tango On The Floor”

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Karima Hoisan

“Tango” by Isabel Hermano

Drunken Tango on The Floor

Inspired by the painting “Tango” by Isabel Hermano
For Isabel Hermano the artist

Their colored inks were spilled not poured
as they danced three long- steps across a tiled floor.
Those tango winds rippled the accordion,
arm dropping
to a dip,
he left teeth marks upon her wrist,
wild eyed,
he grabbed a stolen kiss.

Then she was just a drunken ripped tornado
that descended into a deep and purple haze
stirred into fruity caramel and sprinkled with nut glaze.

He danced her heels over headdress
then reeled her in so extra tight,
there was not a doubt she was liquid on love
and would turn into a two-four- one step-puddle
at his feet,
before the clock struck midnight.

It was when the cold and hot of him and her
met across a room,
and tangled in a tango
that melted legs off the piano
incinerating the vinyl table tops.

They became another pair of drunken lovers
scuffing up the floor,
he twirled her and over-wound her,
barred the windows and the doors.
They were free -forming into toffee,
tossing all caution to the whores.
He could have melted that city down,
before their dance was on its second round,
while all the other ladies paled on sight.
She was a supernatural-counter-clockwise-thing,
held only to the ground by perfect timing,
taut arms, and a tightly, tethered -lead- string.

They stumbled in and out of grace,
her fast breath gently blowing through his face,
hips matched in perfect sync,
the patrons mute and slack-jawed in silk and lace.
There was not an inch of room for all the rest…
so they cleared out to the bar instead,  
like a twister through tornado alley,
her hot spot riding up his leg.
They were frosting on the dance floor,
spreading out to cover more,
if you’d lit a match they’d have lit on fire,
ninety- proof of alcoholic love,
calves and pelvis riding on a two-backed dancing storm  
descending from the nimbus clouds above.

Flames of flamboyant dance moves ,
she was his bull and he rode her in red,
there was not an inch of room for other couples,
so they cleared the bar and fled.
He snapped his cape, and cracked his whip,
until she full- out bent her knee,
as he pressed her tighter to his will,
for the tango- dancing world to see.

It was when the cold and hot
of him and her
met across a room and tangled in a tango,
that melted legs off the piano,
incinerating the vinyl table tops.

They became another pair of drunken lovers
scuffing up the floor
he twirled her and over-wound her,
barred the windows and the doors.
He danced her heels over headdress
then reeled her in so tight,
there was not a doubt she was drunk on love
and would turn into a two-four one- step puddle
at his feet.
before the clock struck midnight.

Karima Hoisan
March 14, 2012
LINC Island Bay of Tranquility

* Footnote.

“Tango” was a birthday gift from Isabel last week. She told me a story of what inspired her to paint this glorious passionate abstract, and she sent me the music she also used while she was painting. As soon as I saw it, and then heard her story of seeing a couple dancing a perfect and almost “out-of -control” tango that cleared the dance floor until they were the only ones on it, I listened to her music and inspired by this painting, and the wonderful classical tango by Astor Piazzolla, I took poetic license and  imagined it in my mind, creating this very energetic and sensual poem, something radically different from my last few poems..Thank you Isabel for this colorful and beautiful gift, that shifted my poetic gears:)
I will be performing it for the first time Sunday March 18th at 12noon at DNA Art and Music Fusion.  If you would like to come to my reading, I will be doing two poems inspired by Isabel’s Art, and many more.
Hope you will join me. Your taxi here: DNA Art and Music Fusion slurl

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Karima@Ce Soir Arts Monday March 12th ~ 1pmSLT

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Karima Hoisan

Ce Soir Art's Reading Tree taken at last month's Reading

  I am happy to invite you to my next reading at Ce Soir Arts, a really lovely spot in Second Life for all things artistic, and a very special venue for poetry. I will be here this coming Monday at 1pmslt for an hour of my style of mixed media poetry.

A beautiful setting to let the spoken word transport you

Last month was my first reading at Ce Soir Arts, and we had nice attendance. I hope you will join me for this upcoming one. I will be reading for the first time in public, some of the newer poems you can see here on my blog, and another I had written for a bizarre painting by Sigfred Rodenberger, but have never performed it, as I couldn’t find the right music for it, so for Monday, I composed one of my own.

Karima @ The Reading Tree - Ce Soir Arts

I hope you will be part of this Spring scene Monday March 12th 1pmslt (don’t forget about PST Daylight Savings goes into effect this weekend)
Here is your taxi to drop you off safely at the door. I look forward to seeing you here at
Ce Soir Arts!

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The Other Side

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Karima Hoisan

“Joining” by Jan Betts


I invite you to listen to my reading of this poem to the beautiful music “Liquid Mountains” by Push-Pull. Just click on the link below.
“The Other Side.mp3”

The Other Side
for B.

The other side of everything, is the part we hardly ever choose to see.
It is worn and rubbed and frayed and it gets cobwebs and it gets torn.
The other side of love is just a hole that can not be mended or filled back in
with promises of good intentions to get it right next time.
When love flips over, when it totters and then turns upside down,
it becomes a sieve that lets the happiness fall right through and wash away.

The other side of almost everything is not as pretty or as bright
Its’ dullness is but a shadow of the pattern stamped upon the upright side.
I pass my hands so gently over it, to infuse my waning magic and bring it back to life.
I wet it with my tears and try to make it grow again, to swell and glisten with love’s shine.
I throw my hands into the air, a faithless mortal who believes her love is not enough
to mend that rip, or turn it over one more time, and change the broken pain into sublime.

The other side of somethings can be like new, a brand new start,
because this side has yet to see the light, it’s not faded, soiled or stained.
The other side of love sometimes, can hold a promise that longs to be revealed
and only wisdom tells us if we should pick it up, or put it down and walk away.
The untouched side can be a gift that even love was not aware of,
I press this side now to my face and lips, blow in my breath, and pray it be this way

Because…

The other side of everything, is the part we hardly ever chose to see
It is worn and rubbed and frayed and it gets cobwebs and it gets torn.
The other side of love is just a hole that can not be mended or filled back in
with promises or good intentions to get it right next time.
When love flips over, when it totters and then turns upside down
it becomes a sieve that lets the happiness fall right through and wash away

Karima Hoisan
March 8th 2012
Kari’s Kantina del Mar

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“Dinner For Two”

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Karima Hoisan

“…soul-mates out to dine on just each others’ artsy passions…”

I invite you to listen to my reciting of this poem,  from a live reading at Tropical Reflections Costa Rica Feb. 23rd. Just Click on the link below:

“Dinner For Two” Live Recording

Dinner For Two
for D.

Maybe it is not my place to feel what I am feeling,
to twist and stretch a little room where nothing does nor can exist
into a banquet hall  of fantasy.
Soul-mates out to dine on just each others’ artsy passions, and obsessions,
that make their eyes glow bright gazing over candlelight,
that makes the Time lie still and wait like silver placed next to their plates,
to be picked up and then put down while color is served in twelve  ascending courses, and waiters are flowing and never cease changing
the table decorations and decor.

I know it is a lot to ask,
that Time rewrite  the scripts already served and eaten in the past,
the sickness and the crippling, the waning and the laming,
the unrecoverable damaged goods left at both our doors.
But I have fought for what my heart decries,
and I have had the patience of a mounted saint,
standing still upon her steed, now poised,
ready to storm the gates of propriety and go beyond all logic
and all reason,
there is a time to act for every season,
and I see winter comes upon us so voraciously.
It’s love that bursts inside my chambers, and makes my heart grow larger
than it’s supposed to grow,
 It’s love that makes me throw all caution out the door,
and standing now on top the tablecloth,
I am the centerpiece of it,
I am the crystal flower bowl of  Love.
I am the foolish girl who loves beyond her reach,
who loves the brilliant and the futile,
who loves with depth,
and who loves you,
and all your Art that she can eat.

Karima Hoisan
October 31, 2011
LINC Island, SL

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Designing Worlds Show on Kitely – Virtual Worlds on Demand

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Karima Hoisan

Well-flanked between two of my favorite men: Ilan Tochner and DB Bailey

So pleased to have been invited to form part of this panel for the Designing Worlds Show on Kitely – Virtual Worlds on Demand. Saffia Widdershins and Elrik Merlin, were the gracious hosts. It aired today for the first time, and I decided to share the embedded Treet TV video with my readers, because I have been mentioning Kitely now for many months, since I first began building there under their Beta program in June 2011.
 I was happily flanked by both Ilan Tochner, Ceo of Kitely, and DB Bailey, two men I admire. It seemed fitting, as DB was the one who first introduced me to Ilan and Kitely and encouraged me to create something on it. I will include the short description that is on their Webpage below and embed this episode for you all to enjoy.
It is long, a full hour, but there is a lot of information about what Kitley is and how it works differently from other virtual worlds. My part and a few videos on two of my worlds, come after Ilan’s very good description of Kitely. DB adds his part and what projects he is building after me.I want to thank both Saffia and Elrik for having me participate, and for the care and professionalism they give to these shows, and this one in particular. I very much enjoyed being part of the program.

This week’s episode of Designing Worlds presents a detailed illustrated studio discussion on the recently-established Open Sim-based virtual worlds of Kitely. Saffia and Elrik talk to Kitely CEO Ilan Tochner about Kitely and how it works, and to artists Karima Hoisan and David Denton about their work there.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

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“Between The Profound and The Profane”

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Karima Hoisan

"floating between the angels and the beasts..."

I recite this poem to the music “Life Is.” by Runrig. Please click the link below to listen.
“Between The Profound and The Profane.mp3”
~*~
“Between The Profound and the Profane”
for B.
(to The Music “Life is” by Runrig)

Now is the time because where we are is the place,
standing in the intersection of the profound and the  profane
I watch you carry a soul under your Adam’s rib cage,
holding it just right, careful  that it’s not too tight,
for soon it will take flight
and fly away.
But after all is said and done,
you really are the only one.
You’re the soul carrier today.
You’re the sole carrier today.

I always knew it would come, but not sure how
floating between the angels and the beasts,
I feel my legs grow light as air and you now carry me.
Holding me just right but not too tight,
we both know I might take  flight
some unexpected day,
in some unexpected way.
I trust and so I take your hand, your wish is my command
You’re my sole carrier today.
You’re my soul carrier today.

If we are empty and have nothing to grab on to
we will drown in the first spring rain
and we will look upon those on shore,
dry and steadfast, strong and standing,
and we will feel confused, perhaps angry, with little understanding,
as we are swept down stream, into a meaningless, pointless dream.
But you are full, and blessed with blessings
You could carry all their souls to safety… if they’d only say,
“Please, would you be my soul carrier today?”

Some of us have strong hind legs, and some of us have detachable wings
and some of us have neither, we have nothing,
so we don’t  feel and we can’t believe.
It’s our paradox, our trapped and tear-filled human tragedy.
Standing in the intersection of the profound and the profane.
I turn my head to look your way,
I trust and so I take your hand, your wish is my command.
You’re the soul carrier today.
You’re the sole carrier today.

Karima Hoisan
Feb. 29, 2012
Kari’s Pond of Peace SL

* Footnote to this poem. Sometimes, especially in times of emotional upheaval, those who believe in something, are called upon to carry those who are empty and have no beliefs. All of us, float somewhere between these two plains.

I once again want to thank the gifted artist Jan Betts for this small detail of a larger painting entitled “Speechless” Her amazing work, and her blog on it can be found here. When I saw this detail, I knew it was the one for my poem. You can see more of her art here at: JanBettsArt

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Just Say “Yes!” ~ Part Two

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Karima Hoisan

In my post before this one, I was exalting the benefits in our virtual lives, of saying “Yes” over “No”. Chapters begin, that we may never have even dreamed about, and new  friendships blossom. In yesterday’s post, I chose Hypatia Pickens as someone I had admired for a long time, and that the opportunity for a friendship came about from saying yes and joining the Machinima Artist Guild” ( See: Just Say”Yes!”) All our experiences and all our choices, definitely move us down the Game-board of Life in a slightly altered way. I know I sound a bit glib, if I don’t live Second Life as a game I certainly don’t live real life as one,  but looking back, we can see the moves that made a difference.. We just can.
Natascha Randt is a moderator on M.A.G. She knows what is good and she knows what she likes..she minces no words. I, to be honest, was afraid of her, as I knew my machinimas were very much below the quality of most I was seeing, being upped daily. She already had made it clear that there had to be a very good reason to watch one over the length of 3 minutes, and most of the ones I was sharing were 4-6mins. I cringed waiting for her review. So that is how we met, but if  it’s true she is blunt honest and critical, when needed, she is fair and  she knows what she is talking about so we listen. If she says she likes something, we know that is blunt honest too. She has 237 videos, I am sure all by her, on her YouTube channel, and many of them were produced to  give instruction to those of us(most of us) who can really use that kind of information. How to make a mirror that reflects on the  screen was a fascinating one, as we know mirrors in SL do not reflect, and lots and lots of plane videos, showing them off and what they can do, and how to film them doing it.

Natascha (Nat) loves anything that flies


Natascha (Nat) loves anything that flies in the air, that can lift off a runway, and she is an adept pilot as well. I have always had a love/ fear relationship with aircraft. To this day I have never set foot in a helicopter, and only the necessity of multiple trans-atlantic crossings, could get me on a passenger plane, but they fascinate me, and here we can try what we would not try in real life, so when I asked  Nat if I could co-pilot someday, she said sure and offered a jet, a helicopter, and a  DHC-2 Beaver( lands on water) and I said “Yes” to all three. We took the Jet first..

and we taxied for take-off..

We flew to the East the jets sounds (very realistic) booming in our ears

Heading towards the sunrise

We flew to the West, and I was starting to feel braver, and less white knuckley.They actually had a bit of color flowing back into them, when bam! we shot straight up

Nat put us into a stall as we hit the sim wall.. oiy oiy oiy...

And that is the last I remember of my jet ride, as I was ejected into the atmosphere.
The sun was in a ball, and I was trying to hold a crash position, and Nat was flying away without me. I blacked out…but when I came to…we were miraculously landing. Huhh??? I thought.

Nat was taking it slow into the hangar.."What a pilot!" I thought.

We landed..a perfect touch down. Nat was taking it slow into the hangar..”What a pilot!” I whispered to no one.

So before I could even think, She said, "you want to ride my Sea Wolf?"

So before I could even think, She said, “You want to ride my AirWolf?”
“Yes!” I said, because I didn’t know what it was. Well it turned out to be  a fatal helicopter, that I was destined to be just one more fatality on.

Take off was smooth, Nat handled this "bird" very well

Take off was smooth, Nat handled this “bird” very well, but even with her expertise, sim borders loom up like invisible Alps, and not a pilot in the world can navigate through them. It was my second ejection of the day, and I took to remembering I hadn’t been in so many aerial accidents since the days when  I used to fly with DOUGIE Flossberg!
(“Come Josephine in my Flying Machine”)
This time Nat was sucked out too!

Makes you wonder who was piloting...

Makes you wonder who was piloting… and then I found myself tip toeing over a submarine, (was it a dream?) and we were strapping ourselves into the seats of her DHC-2 Beaver, about to make a big water take off. So far we had survived more than we should have, but luck does run out when you least expect it.

I had no fear of take-offs, and over water seemed somehow "safer"

I had no fear of take-offs, and over water seemed somehow “safer” Wrong….

Wow! This was so Wrong,,. i mean I saw the movie that Nat made

Wow! This was so Wrong… I mean I saw the movie that Nat made. This part did not come in the beginning!! not on take-off!! Let’s do a replay of that….

So, I ended up on the bottom of the sea. When Nat shouted down if I wanted to do it again, a little voice whispered in my head, “I think your No button is stuck on Yes. Why don’t you just say “NO!” and that is what I did…putting a thank-you on at the end of course.
“No thank you”

"But Nat...Thank you!!"

” But Nat”..big wave..”Thank you!”

Here is Nat’ s YouTube Channel.Lots of interesting, instructional, beautiful, “tests, videos, piano playing. It’ s all good.Check it out. 192 subscribers can’t be wrong.
  NRandt YouTube Channel

* Footnote the quote “your No button is stuck on Yes…?” I stole it from Emile Stratten:)



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Just Say “Yes!”

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Karima Hoisan

There is no doubt in my mind that saying “Yes” opens doors and saying “No” closes them. Sometimes the doors that open, might have better stayed shut, and sometimes closing them can get you in less trouble, never-the-less, I have always” been one who usually says “Yes.”
When Cisko Vandeverre from The Machinima Artist Guild (M.A.G) invited me to join the group, I didn’t miss a beat, I said “Yes” That was six weeks ago, and I am so glad I did. One of the benefits of joining a new group, are new friends to be made. Besides learning so much about the technical aspect of making good machinima, there also is the possibility to meet people involved in this world, who I have admired for a long time and let’s say from afar.
Hypatia Pickens is one of these, whose machinima poem,”Yeah” won one of the top ten awards for the MachinUWA IV challenge in Second Life (special award: “emotion”). I will put it in here for all to enjoy, and add that a wonderful new friendship with a fellow poet/machinima maker is now being forged and made possible by saying “Yes.” I also will include a few more links to my favorites of hers,  “What Isn’t Underneath”, inspired by the haunting build by Scottius Pole, “The Docks” which also inspired a poem from me (see link) and one of her more recent and beautifully thought -out and orchestrated, “Instructions From The Dead On How To Recall The Source Code”. If you have enjoyed these, please check out her Channel which can be found here, Hypatia Pickens YouTube Channel (textcavation) She is a sensitive, adept, and a very creative machinima maker. Her videos are both visually stunning and thought provoking and she has a pleasing melodious reading voice too. I am so pleased to learn from her and to get the chance to exchange those small details that make friendships grow.  I give to you “Yeah…” by Hypatia Pickens,

Oh… and here is my poem “Yes!” which started me on this train of thought in the first place.

Yes!
for ayooni
~~~~~*****~~~~~

You know they’re still talking about you
How you went wind surfing,
in a camouflage bikini
while they were bombing Baghdad.
The f-16 almost dove in the lake
trying to salute you with his wing.

I still hear stories about you,
How you stayed on and on
when everyone else picked up
their bags and left
for Amman
or Brussels
or Munich.
You trusted in your fate
and you were so right.

Is there any wonder I admire you?
One of the few in my two -page book
That can share a tale of honor killing
without judgment or flinching,
That swam peacefully in a compound
patrolled by tanks,
That set a table with cloth
For a desert dinner,
On a new moon night of stars.

This is why we must join forces,
why our destiny calls us
to the meeting
and we just say in unison
“Yes”
I have always said
“Yes”
You have always said
“Yes”
It’s the stuff and attitude
that legends are made from,
that makes a life
bigger than a myth
or a soap opera
or  reality show
bigger and better
than just saying
“No.”

Tomorrow I will tell you about another new friend in the making, Natascha Randt, gifted machinimatographer, mentor, and moderator on M.A.G. to share a harrowing adventure with you, that I lived (and died), behind her, strapped into the co-pilot’s seat.
Thank you Cisko for the offer to join, so glad I was smart enough to say “Yes”

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