Facebook Note of 9:20p.m., 31July2013
"better to have lost in love,
than never to have loved at all",
it is said...
but it is also terribly cruel.
I cannot
(and don't think I want to)
get over the loss of an ex,
not the way that he passed.
He was afraid,
and endured pain
for God knows how many years
- Still he loved God,
his life,
all his friends...
he'd been a great jazz musician,
artist and art teacher.
Maybe having watched
those Twighlight Zone movies was a sign?
Meh!
We loved watching
good old-fashioned sci-fi.
How we'd met was spontaneous,
out of an open mic during Mardi Gras 2008.
He asked me out,
picked me up from a drawing class
out of an underground ronchy venue
in Downtown.
We'd spent two weeks together
and learned a lot about each other...
He'd written before he left this realm,
I treated him as if I would maybe
get to talk to him again...
Today, I saw his name tagged,
and thought I would tell him 'hello'....
The pain of this mourning
is gradually seeping.
It is okay.
He didn't deserve to suffer
his bipolar pains.
He deserves to rest in peace.
He passed 3 years ago,
and I just found out today.
It's the first time
I lose someone this close,
I have to devote some more work
in his honor.
out in the middle of the desert...
You were never that monster
you were afraid to become...
You were my muse,
My Life,
My Love,
and My Everything...
you were supposed to remain,
annoyingly adorable ex...
... We'd watched our films
of Sci-Fi
in Black & White...
I giggled about your cat,
begging us for breakfast.
We were neighbors,
and delicious lovers.
For you, in those two weeks we were together,
I wrote:
"Arms embracing like arboles branches
reaching for the sol
Skin glistening like the luna
reflecting off the ojas
Kisses pecking like striped bumbles
hopping upon petalos
Bodies in rhythm like avejas
drinking sweet nectar
Lluvia from the sky
falling into the tierra
absorbing sacredly."
-- Praying With My Love, 2008
... we went to church one time.
Your spirit shall always be cherished.
wherever & whenever you may be.
Love, Karla Lopez
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Dedication to Erick Djerf, 1963-2010
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
How do you see that child?
just kindly sharing, and although we don't know each other... careful what you wish upon a child (your own or not)
I was a happy skinny little girl. ate well, slept well... my dad used to keep picking on me about my size. and as I kept growing more healthy... and things in the family would slowly go downward... being a healthier size, and now showing so much bones then turned into being picked on for not being so skinny. It was awkward. by the age of 10, problems in the family had already kick started my depression. so to the point that subconsciously the eating habits were no longer on that happy healthy level. Fast forward to 1997, as I joined the Armed Forces - I barely made it in weighing just 4 lbs over my maximum weight. Stress made me gain weight, surgeries made me retain many fluids. I ballooned from a moderate 175 lbs to 215 lbs. Little by little after I fulfilled my contract, honorably discharged - My body took on it's natural form. Let's call it a rebirth. I'm over all the things I went through in my 20's. Going into my 30's I'm blessed, working whenever scheduled as a model in art classes. Despite all the comments people/society continuously makes towards one another about the way they look. It's not about your intentions or wishes. Instead, if you will, please consider your tendencies of thinking & speaking & writing.
"All she needs is a little more meat on her bones", was repeated to me... I would have been a different kind of model, or even better - would have been able to work more time in the Military. Had that phrase Never been said to me.
I live a happier life because I choose to. Not because anyone else wished it for me.
- See yourself and others well.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
KLR's Rap 2013
Gimme a Beat!
..Well... !
Here's a little story, I'd like to tell
They show a lot of hatred, and scare my friends away,
Some are in my family, some call themselves my friends
When I catch them in their act
I wanna have a good day, I wanna have fun
These stupid people in my past can make me mad.
I'd rather hang with my pals
they dance and play
they are colorful and natural
of different creeds
They write a lot of poetry
You see, I used to live in silence
I opened up to giggle, let out a little laugh
when I started writing I was as sad as Poe
These people of hate are still in my life
I wish you didn't know, I hope it doesn't show
I can pray and meditate, that's just not enough
to get up - Stay Up!
I'll show you how it's done --
Click "delete", don't accept defeat
when they call, throw the curve ball
Keep them outta your house and wish them well.
I had a hard time writing this
listen up and understand
As in, if someone says "no thank you",
Or if they're just quiet and show a smile
Just learn to back off, be at peace with yourself.
Look deep within yourself and realize
Don't aim it towards nobody, do not impose on them.
Feel it near, see it clear.
And be disturbed no more....
Peace! Yo!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Letting go of the Bad Old Ways
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Mexican-American at New Tokyo's
Today's Facebook Note turned into a good blog topic story...
This one's about being multicultural...
*I'm remembering an evening I went out to New Tokyo's on the Honch...
The year was 2001, post 9-11.
The pub called New Tokyo's was the gay hang out.
The Honch is the honcho street, a.k.a. main street - happens to be Dobuita Street, just a walk across from the main gate of the Yokosuka Navy Base, Yokosuka Japan.
My hair was all long,
it reached my bum, overlapping 2 inches.
Naturally wavy, I straightened it
and sprayed a white streak on the side.
"my look, my art" I thought. Pero NO!
I truly didn't see myself the way others did.
I've always been aware of my cultural makeup.
Just I ignored other people's biases...
That night, I got profiled left and right!
My analogy is that of a vynil record}
Side A.
by a co-worker in Admin.
I'll call him stupid, because he used to call himself stupid.
He's actually, a fantastic soul. a Chritian Reverend.
I admire his spirit.
At the time, I felt we were friends with different opinions, yet similar points of view.
We can try to make sense of that.
Side B.
was totally weirded out by a 7-fleet coreman
He always seemed sweet, very Mexican, but never from Mexico.
I discovered that hiding behind his mild manners
was a vato from Chi-town...
He was a little cholillo!
And he was totally tripping out on the way I looked.
I did also happen to be wearing all black, not very much makeup on my face, mind you.
This fucker was so pissed drunk, he started calling me VETERANA.
I was all in my white girl innocent mentality "whaddaya mean? whaddaya mean?".
UGH! LOL
I had no freaking clue, not anyone from El Paso or Los Angeles had ever explained to me...
though I felt the feeling offending me that a Veterana is by urban dictionary defined as an: "Old school hood rat. typically has exagerated hair bangs, drawn-in eyebrows & a dark shade of lipstick and has been around the block a couple of thousand times."
I will admit I have loved wearing black or blue lipstick, but that's a gothic thing, anyway...
His vibe changed to make me feel better}
That dude was all "I Luuuuv youuu, I RESPECT you, cuz you a VETERANA!.
Which his meaning changed to that of a Spanish dictionary meaning:
So those are my translations of what I found in an online Castillian dictionary.
Still I didn't really know. I was only about 22 years old. I wasn't Any kind of Veteran - no where near it.
So I couldn't get him to shut up.
Looked him in the eye and said
Honey, thank you, but you are fucking drunk.
You need to get some water and go home!
.....
So to complete today's blog
here's an awesome Beck Video, song is Perdedor/Loser
It has plenty of Spanglish. I forget what album it's from.
So I also recommend the 1996 album Odelay, which when you sound it out is ORALE!!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
"No Strings Attached"
I'm the bitch with the broken foot
and the broken heart
Broken strings on my green-bruised violin
Broken wings upon my Eagle Eye-sight
Broken microwave bowl
Broken shower head and duct tape
A broken back and a broken iron anchor,
topped with anxiety and PTSD...
Broken appetite for food
Pizza & Pepsi make my heart melt!
Broken appetite for sex
No one can handle this Woman's wonderful libido...
Libido...
LIBIDO!
topped with hormones and pretty pussy.
Broken anger and broken stress
I'll sing 'Hare Krishna' in a long white dress...
But... but... but only because
I'm just not into relationships,
and relationships aren't into me...
I'm the bitch with the broken foot
and the broken heart
Broken strings on my green-bruised violin
Broken wings upon my Eagle Eye-sight
Broken microwave bowl
Broken shower head and duct tape
A broken back and a broken iron anchor,
topped with anxiety and PTSD...
But... but... but only because
I'm just not into relationships,
and relationships are not into me...
My stalkers, harassers, abusers
want to drug me, violate me, belittle me.
They want me under their spells...
Broken Charms!
Broken Chains!
I'm only into scarf bondage, honey
I could let you choke a little...
But dare you come up to my place,
I'd sooner push you down the stairs...
Because I'm the bitch with the broken foot
and the broken heart
Broken strings on my green-bruised violin
Broken wings upon my Eagle Eye-sight
Broken microwave bowl
Broken shower head and duct tape
A broken back and a broken iron anchor,
topped with anxiety and PTSD...
But... but... but
hehehehehe...
only because
I'm just not into relationships,
and relationships aren't into me...
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Gay Pride FB Notes
Facebook Notes – by Chevalterre Nabil, as Karla Nabil:
June 10, 2012
-- New shit poem by Chevalterre Nabil, a.k.a. KLRabstracts written right this second!
Just because I date men, does not mean I am straight.
Just because I seem well-adjusted, does not mean I hate.
I do not care to predict the future or who will be my mate.
The path for that Person and I is in the hands of fate!
June 11, 2012
-- I love being unclosetted.
Met a someone today,
he unclosetted himself to me.
Now we are in each other's lives.
No questionning good feelings/intentions.
I set a good goal yesterday...
after processing out much negativity.
Woke up feeling fine.
And there is added happiness. ^_^
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Empalagar
Sept 2011
in Spanish, English & French (automatically translated )
Empalagar...
its synonyms
are to:
overfill
gorge
disgust
satisfy
annoy
fatigue
satiate
eso es & that is
Empalagar...
Yo quiero empalagar
my eyes
with clashing
harmonies
of hot pink
or puple feathers
stitched onto
earthly tones of felt fabric
My masked creations
sculptures to over-adorn
the face.
Yo quiero empalagar
my thoughts
with bizarre scenes
of an elderly pair
tweaking videos
playing on a pc
like children.
Yo quiero empalagar
my ears
with old & new sounds
of French Pop...
Jacque Brel,
Sting,
Blondie,
Mathieu Chedid,
Sean Lennon,
Mecano,
Indochine,
France Gall,
Melissa Auf Der Maur,
Miguel Bose,
La Ley,
et Paul Mauriat.
J'adore
je adore
J'ADORE
c'ette musique!
Yo quiero empalagar
my tongue
with caramel popcorn...
I'd like a cup of soy milk,
Please!
Yo quiero empalagar
my skin
with raindrops
Its scent merging with
the desert winds
Taking me back
nearly tweny years!
In a 5-minute review
{de mon veritable amour
interdite amour
Ah! Son amour}
-of my true love...
forbidden love
Oh, his love!-
{bisous...
nos chevoux longs
mince, corps souple
tenant les uns, les autre}
- kisses...
our long hair!
slender, supple bodies
Holding one another-
... A block away...
My faithful,
best friends
I held them ever so close
five dogs or more...
I watched them each
Make (making) it to Heaven.
Now,
I'm certain
you've had enough
of my stories by now.
! No te/les quize
Empalagar!
I simply must conclude
without being rude
Que quiero completamente
Empalagar
My Soul
with
my sweetheart's kisses
{Ses levres - His lips
{sur mon visage - on my face
{Ses dents - His teeth
{verrouille sur me levres - locked onto my lips!
{Mes dents - My teeth
{sur sa langue - on his tongue
{Ses mains sur ma peau
ses mains sur ma peau?
Ses mains
Sur
Ma Peau!
- His hands on my skin!
{Me retournant a l'enverse...
- Turning me inside out!
{puis-je atteindre l'univers?
...
Can I reach the Universe?
...
(pause, sighs)
My cup runneth over.
I shall not
ask for more.
Demonic Allergies
By Chevalterre Nabil via KLRabstracts
Slam poetry performed by Karla w/ a 'K'
Sept 2011
(read with Southern accent - optional)
I am Allergic to
Ethnicism and Racism
Not sharing the proper terms
to translate for better understanding
Claims of
'We're not catering
to That kind of audience.'
My heart sinks
I lose the will
to pluck my strings
As much as you
want me to entertain
The group has been falling apart.
Half of us make That
kind of audience.
I am Allergic
to Narcissism
Trying to
use my name and title
Called me 'jealous'
for having
invited you,
included you
with the team.
Suckin' up to me
with vast (lots of) nourishment
poisoning my blood
with tons
and tons
of butter.
follow me,
haunt me,
yell at me,
and taunt me.
Suckin' out my good blood
I get diabetic symptoms
Our acquaintance
More than fell apart.
Expect me
to fail
... always asking
'What's Wrong?'
Never answering my calls
for when
it's necessary
to clear the air.
Each moment (every time)
you step into the room
The buttered up lies
(just) Make me sick.
I am Allergic to
empty word-isms
Neglect
I show up to the meeting
& you're shootin' the breeze
I pick up somebody's slack
end up chasin' you down
for a mere $6.50 salary!
I wait for attendance...
I work on marketing propaganda...
I wait
with the ethnicist
who favors the narcissist
feeding me
Poison
draining my good will
the good blood
I'm on the verge
of unloading
all the bad news,
all the drama
on You...
Then I receive
your message...
'I Promise!'
You haven't (ain't even) been present (here)
for over one (a) week
The projects
have been falling apart!
I care no more
to wait astray
at a lonely table
centered in that gallery
of oblivion.
Skepticism
is my antidote
My silence
My neutrality
My personal strength
Can drive you nuts!
Should you perssist
in putting me or anyone down
Assuming the worst
I can get you
the antidote
for that Pessimism.
Though (but),
Not without
Passing through
the oracles
of the grandiose
Karma
and
Dogma!
When you are strong
You'll learn
to trust
and Love
yourself
So Unconditionally
That when
we reunite,
We won't
recognize
one another. (each other.)
Loaded Genitals
*here's a little sex ed for the over-grown kids.
**not for those under the age of 18!
(sung)-->
Shot through the heart!
We are each to blame
Darling,
We all give love a bad name...
(end song)
The college professor
had the entire room
split into two.
Much like
opposing baseball teams
we shook hands
in passing.
None of us knew
one another
Yet, this instructor
proceeded to rape
our minds...
That bitter old bitch
said...
'That's how easily
you can catch AIDS...'
well...
Let's not forget
Syphilis
Gonorrhea
-- there are
different forms
of hu-hu-hu-Herpes...
There are little
midget pervs
making booty calls
to any hoochy
asking her...
'How are you,
honey bunny?
You don't have any outbreaks.
Do you?'
... Do you?
Well...
if you ask
someone who said
they were your friend
to lend an ear...
You can feel bewildered
when they get uptight
and defensive
with the expression:
'I ALWAYS get checked...
That's why
I always get checked!'
goddamn, fucking lying bitch!
You sleep around!..
How many people's
hands did you shake
before mine?
Where you hang out
He hangs out
and she hangs out
and we hang out
He...
I said 'He'
that dude
... carrying a loaded gun
But his partner
calls him out instead
They bicker at each other
like little chicken bitches
You don't believe them
I didn't believe them
We don't believe them
But now that I'm talking to you
Maybe you do Actually
get checked.
I feel an Itch!
An Itch to pull
An Itch to pull a trigger
the trigger of a 9-mil!
She,
and he,
and we
want to pull our triggers
and get trigger happy
with our shaky shaking hands
We wanna commit suicide
cut ourselves
choke ourselves
No!
-- you choke me, baby
'cause it feels so good!
Oh!
It always feels so good!
Your sex feels so good.
I miss you...
Let's you and me play
with our guns.
You gave me this gift...
I can't pass it along
to someone else.
You fucking bastard,
don't run away!!
I pick up the phone,
and call your clones.
go get yourself checked.
Go Get Yourself Checked.
GO get YOURSELF CHECKED
Each of them give me
attitude...
except the last one...
'Sorry, honey --
You did use a condom'
Go Get Checked Anyway!
...If it is so urgent for you
That I get to a clinic
without any money,
Why don't You take me?
And you get mad
'cause you know
you were packin' heat
Even if maybe
perhaps...
maybe...
You didn't shoot me.
You didn't give me nothing...
Maybe.
How many more
hands are you gonna touch
with your guns
Loaded
with venerial diseases?
And still,
he gloats
when he runs into her...
Look, a new baby.
Right out in public!
The bastard/bitch
has multiplied.
I lie, and say
'I am happy for you.'
Because I don't wanna rape
an evesdropper's mind
with what I know about you.
... Concealed weapon, and all.
Take me around to the alley.
Pull it out
- AIM
(sung)
& Shoot through my Heart!
I am to blame
We all give love
a bad name...
We All give Love
A bad name.
(end song)
Friday, July 8, 2011
Prayer to la Sagrada Tierra
April 5, 2011
'...Madre de gracia
Madre de misericordia
en la vida
y en la muerte
amparanos gran señora...'
Protect us dear Mother
protect us from our own fears
How could we have manifested
these needless tears
throught generations?
centuries?
Yet we've not reached past
our ignorance,
vast confusion.
We are in constant fear
of your wrath...
that you,
Grandious Earth
will swallow us alive
We're brain-washed
assuming we've damaged you
immensly!
When to you,
the cuts and bruises
are mere pimples.
We humans are mere
microorganisms
traveling around
your magnificent,
bodacious body
Dear Mother...
your core is unreachable,
untouchable,
Sacred!
Your skin is rich and fertile
in tan and red tones
Your hair grows
and grows...
freshly lush
green and sweet...
I love to taste your hair
its nutrients I enjoy!
Your blood
ebbs... it flows
through the elements
Water
Wind
Fire
! te adoro
Oh, Madre Tierra!
tercer planeta
en el Milky Way
Silky it looks
in the Universe
sweet it must taste
to demi gods
You wear
slight cleavage
voluptuous curves
in your deep valleys
and high mountain ranges
Whether you ever
feel ill
or really great
your body quivers,
it quakes!
How could we so microbial
for so long
still assume that
we hurt you?
You can shake us off
like chain-linked ants
we could seize to exist
and you
not only can
not only will...
You just have
and will Be!
I write this to you
Mother, dear
because I know
that no chemicals,
no plastics,
no electronics
could ever harm you.
You gave man kind
the materials
the minerals
to use...
experiment with
to us in 500 years.
to you, in a few days
Everything we manufacture
will return to what it was.
The Hopi know
what you're all about.
So they just don't worry.
Can the rest of us
do the same?
You sneezed...
scratched an itch
and it flooded houses
swiped out
entire cities
You say... 'oops!"
God gives us strength.
And still we do
cherish
and worship you
So
'... Por la señal
de la Santa Cruz
de nuestros enemigos
libranos señor nuestro...'
Free us
from assuming
so much
about this Earth
we live in.
When we follow
your path
We know what we're capable of
and can just be.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
French Toast for 2
- Chevalterre Nabil via KLRabstracts
(about two former friends,
whom at the time were not bad company.)
veggie oil & margerine
heat up
melt
& merge
in the hot plate
pan.
4 slices
each of
wheat bread
toast lightly
in pairs
A chicken and rooster
teased each other
danced together
The chicken
screams
little bulbs
come out
of her body
i find these things
in dozens
out of
a grocery store.
Taking a pair
two embrios
merged
three, if one
of them was twins
A nurturing dash
of milk
- powdered
& mixed in H2O
Such minerals
could only
do wonders...
blend the liquids
and plasmas
Highlight the batter
with Cinnamon.
Listen to trance
and dance
all freaky.
Bathe your toasted
slices in liquid
poultry babes
Each one
kindly
caringly
lovingly
Until fluffy
and crispy
on all six sides
of the cubic grains
White doilies
White lace
on brown skin.
Cut and serve
on two plates
of royal blue.
In a little home
on a little table
and little chairs
Drizzle & bathe
each dish
with chunks
of fruit and nuts
Strawberries red
Canteloupe vermillion
to paint the town
sweet
crushed walnuts
sliced almonds
to remove
an inner frown
syrupy sweet
Say a prayer,
a chant,
if you will...
Think of someone
you care for:
"Ever'ting's Gon'be Irie"
Play music
of another origin -
Its lyrics
are of travels
and love...
Dig in
chat and smile
at your friend...
You each
thinking of
those you care for.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Saying "Hi" (song)
by Chevalterre Nabil via KLRabstracts - 4 June 2011
Heading down south
in El Chuco town
El Chuco town
Just left the library
and texting you
I wait for
the Sun Metro
Have a small snack:
pizza combos
Heading down south
in El Chuco town
it's my home town
Cathedral bells
chime
a short chime
bus comin' over the hill
chimes mark 2:45 p.m.
bus arrives
I slide my card
steppin onboard
I step aboard
Headin' down south
in El Chuco town
and so are you
and so am I
and so we are
He wears
brown, green, white
swirls
I text you
He wears
big glittered red hat
you text back
big glittered red shoes
clown shoes
el payasito
mira...
He's very tall
Tu eres very tall
y stepping off the bus
I just noticed you
Lighting
your cig
under a brown cap
a brown cap
I head further south
near Juaritos
in El Chuco town...
I text you back
I text you back
We was on the same bus
you see my friend
you saw my friend
You text me back
you text me back
I was on the same bus
you laughed, my friend
we laughed, my friend
steppin' off el bus
at the terminal
our day was kinda bad
I was almost a little mad
but since we almost ran into each other
we both were rather glad
we each were rather glad.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Fatigued
Woke up to fresh air
caressed by browns
sage green
in a daze,
I walked downhill...
surrounded by heavy traffic.
Are you in that traffic?
your sage hair
matching your sage attire
Are you in that traffic?
I woke up again to fuscia,
loving fuscia
the air is fresh
the sun tans me in my somber
I am brown
a little red
quite naturally
phone texts exhaust me...
I tried to tell you
you couldn't hear me
too much traffic
of thoughts
in the air
thoughts between us exhaust me.
Please stop following me.
But please
stay close.
Soon I'll be rested
Soon I'll awaken.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Glasses
Glasses to see
glasses to protect
to project
glasses to read
glasses to let sunshine in
glasses to block UV rays
glasses shaped
cut
doubled up
Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals
glass fittings:
short,
wide,
long,
narrow,
and tall
glasses in view ports
on Navy vessels
telescopes
periscopes
binoculars
microscopes...
Melt sand -
make some glass:
sculpt it
shape it
serve some water,
make it plural
join me!
Glasses to find:
people in the dark
birds in trees
worms in holes
hairs on moles
viruses on malignant growths
I'm honest,
it's true...
glasses to find growths on trees
such as fungi,
plants
Glasses to screen
screens replicating
xerox copies
scannings
scanner art
photographing
teletubing
the Curies discovered radium
Ramsay and Travers discovered neon
small glass screens
assisting in:
calculating
computing
telecommunicating
transferring solar energy
Glasses containing
glasses in colors
chromotherapy
color therapy
Stained glass lamp shades in a bar
stories depicted in the Cathedral
ancient Egyptians created the Dendera Lightbulb
Incandecent Lightbulbs --
Reinvented Filaments:
Davy's platinum,
Lindsay's light demo
De La Rue's vacuum tube enclosure
De Moleyn's powdered charcoal
Gobel's carbonized bamboo
Swan's carbon fiber
Woodward & Evan's gas-filled Globe!
Edison's long lasting
Latimer's better production
Coolidge's tungsten
shining across
through the ones
you drink from
drinks in glasses (again):
wide,
deep,
to shoot
capped bottles
from which - ready to drink
Glasses...
the plexi kind
more stirdy,
firm
sculptors mold & color
decorating
Sasebo Park,
near Albuquerque Bridge
...or the stylings of
the late Luis Jimenez
in El Paso's downtown
these glasses
if you focus
with or
without a pair
of your own
tell some enlightening
Truths.
... of Alligators in prior decades
tortured
Morbidly enjoyed
...the ghost of a Vaquero
his eyes shine red
... A liberal version of Lady Liberty
... tiny
such powerful
dedication to 9-11 fire fighters
... 1996 tragedy
fallen
glass
fallen
artist
His last Mustang...
(silence)
Would I have even pondered
the thought of Glass
and Glasses...
had I been blind?
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Transcendence
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
EPTimes Interviews FHS, C.N. included
Dear readers, the following is a link to a formal interview:
click link! --> El Paso Times Interview for Slam Offs & Poemic
Following, is are exerpts from the article.
{The best of El Paso's slam poets will gather for the Free Holé Slam Off at 7 p.m. Tuesday at The Percolator, 217 N. Stanton. Thirty poets will compete for a chance to represent El Paso at the Individual World Poetry Slam in Cleveland. The top four poets will win a spot on the El Paso Poetry Slam Team, which will compete at the National Poetry Slam in Boston in August.
Poets will have three minutes to read their work and are then judged. The slam has three rounds: Poets
with the top scores move into the next round until the final four are left standing.
Karla Nabil, another poet, began writing basic prose and short stories when she was 16.
"I really didn't have an aim in my early 20s, but once I got back to El Paso after serving time in the Navy, I was introduced to the poet scene," said Nabil, now 32. "Once I started with the Free Holé Slam, I started to get more involved in the workshops and I noticed I was becoming not only a better writer, but a better performer."
Nabil said that once she sits down to create her poetry, it's as if a spirit takes over her body.
"I write down the first thing that comes to my mind," she said. "And when I'm done, it's like, OK, that's it. Somehow I've been able to write three-minute pieces in a span of about 15 minutes and I'm ready to perform it. It's just a part of me." }
...>
{"Slam poetry is made up of your delivery, your presence and your words," said Salas, who will be one of the competitors Tuesday. "When you write something and you want someone to feel it, it's your job to deliver it them, to open their mind and make your presence felt."
The Free Holé Slam Poets is an offshoot of several El Paso poetry groups. It was formed by local poets Jen Shugert, Ray Ramos, Leon de la Rosa and Darlina Magallanes.
"Originally there were five of us (the other poet was Herminia Escajeda), and we called ourselves Four Beans and a Cracker," Ramos said. "But Jen left, so we called ourselves the Four Beans. From there it went to Four Frijoles and evolved into Free Holé Slam."
"We had all seen other slams, and we wanted to bring that back to El Paso and see if it could work here," said Shugert, who left for college and returned to El Paso about two years ago. "I had gone to Boston slams, to Austin slams, and I spent a lot of time at the Hollywood slams, which many people consider to be one of the meccas of slam."
Shugert, Ramos, de la Rosa and Tabitha Harkness represented El Paso at last year's National Poetry Slam in St. Paul, Minn.
The group has poetry slams once a month at The Percolator. These are not your typical poetry readings.
Some poets use traditional theatric devices, such as shifting voices and tones, to get their points across. Some use tap-dancing or beatboxing or choreographed movements to add flair to their words.
"There are some people in academia who are very turned off by us," Shugert said. "They think we are a fad based on outrageous language and screaming. It's not a fad -- the first slam nationals started in 1985, so we have been around."
As proof that slam poetry is here to stay, Shugert points to the number of teams from around the world that make an annual trip to the United States to participate in the championship.
"As far as slam being outrageous, it's a claim based on the fact that we have no censorship," she said. "You can curse, you can say whatever you want and it tends to be accepted by the slam audience. That doesn't mean it's outrageous; it means that it's honest."
The beauty of slam poetry is the diversity of the participants. }
Thursday, April 21, 2011
"Coveting Lo Ajeno" - Slam Performance
December 21, 2010
Free Hole Slam competition @ The Percolator cafe.
El Paso, TX
Poets in this video: Leon de la Rosa & Karla reading for Chevalterre Nabil
Please leave comments, all expressions are welcome - Enjoy!
Friday, February 18, 2011
P.I.B., Feb 2008
7 February 2008
from my detailed search:
Friday, January 28, 2011
Jester's Magic Box
her pseudo life destined
to be controlled by monsters.
She, dark gypsy princess
sequestered into solitude
sheltered from the sunlight
Goblins built her a mock house
locked up, she was left
only to sweep -
cooking air
Watching grapes
become raisins
...Transferred into
the cell
a lesser hell
where she could
cleanse
her outer shell
... Watching her
fingers,
lips,
and toes
become raisins
She'd sleep
to be chased
by the big bad wolf
under the full moon
As she hid
in the tall grass
it went away
... By morning
her eyes sealed shut
she'd cry for help!
The Spanish-Indo queen
would cast a magic spell
for her to see
a life in pink!
Wandering sly, minion king
He'd sing and paint
to the gypsy girl
tall tales
night after night
They'd dump her
between two trolls
with nasty
mulf and gump puppets
turning her into
their marionette!
... She was an eaglette
wings trimmed
brief of flight
Without a wind to motion
over the vastly, glittered ocean
for a notion
of what life was
truly meant to be.
One day
she met
an Arab prince
of long, dark locks
piercing jade eyes
who would give her
a map...
without a path
without a key
It may have set her free
He'd see her in her somber
serenading with electric vibes
She'd sing
a song
to sooth
his troubled soul
He sought
to escape
his darkened past
Embracing warmth...
Ecstacy!
In a magic box
she gave him her heart
slipping it into
his saddlebag
He did not see
that evening
he took her out
... Magic carpet ride
They could only travel
so far
she was trapped
in that realm
... As he flew away
into the next one --
He begged
he pleaded
For her to remain
young,
sweet,
and pure.
She prayed
for him
to find
his beautiful queen
If she'd ever see him again
she would have to
seduce a soldier
slipping a magic
sleeping potion
disguising herself
in its armor
Snuck into a witch's cave
peering into the caldron
watching the prince
become a king -
his bride, breathtaking
became his queen
Thousands of fae
surrounding -
protect
their angelic princess babe.
Gypsy girl
was soon caught!
Detained!
She struggled
She fought!
Outcast
further
from this morbid society
Declared dead
to the world...
She lingers
around...
Forever -
a mere jester
entertaining
the underworld.
27 Jan 2011
C.N. via KLRabstracts
Monday, January 24, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Talk to Me
in utilities
in utility!
our messing around
by Mikasa park
in your quarters
you and I were together
you and I were together
visit the VA
pushin 'em to migrate north
can't blame the señoras
for not wanting to change their ways
they're whiter than ME
yet
(colon plus open parenthis)
paperwork
it made me look good
one last time
May 15 2002
in Roppongi
