CASIMIRA

CASIMIRA
HERstory through ART
With words and images, I am telling my story.

Through art, I am remembering HERstory...

I've been blogging daily since 2007.

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Updated Daily: January 2007 - February 2020

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Wednesday, July 31

earth and stars

Be humble for you are made of earth.
Be noble for you are made of stars.
- SERBIAN PROVERB



Tuesday, July 30

es ella

- 2013 mixed media on paper -
escucho su voz
en los vientos

obedezco sus consejos
en los sueños

siento las fragancias de rosas

es ella
la madre

es ella
la diosa

es ella
la niña y la mujer

When I write something in Spanish, it is a challenge to translate into any other language without losing the essence...

I hear her echo
in the winds

I obey her advice
in the dreams

I breathe the fragrance of roses

she is
the mother

she is
the goddess

she is
the girl and the woman

from my journals from years ago 


Monday, July 29

the energy of this moment

- 2013 mixed media from a new series -
"Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed.

Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries."
- Corita Kent (1918 – 1986)

love the moment...

RIGHT NOW...THIS MOMENT...

breathe this moment in and just love it, be grateful for it... 


Sunday, July 28

explore dream discover

- 2013 mixed media on paper from a new series -
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. 

So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. 

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

EXPLORE. DREAM. DISCOVER."

- Mark Twain (1835-1910)


Happy Birthday Ricardo...I love you



Saturday, July 27

mi amor tiene dos vidas

- mixed media self-portrait -
"Sabrás que no te amo y que te amo
puesto que de dos modos es la vida,
la palabra es un ala del silencio,
el fuego tiene una mitad de frío.


Yo te amo para comenzar a amarte,
para recomenzar el infinito
y para no dejar de amarte nunca:
por eso no te amo todavía.


Te amo y no te amo como si tuviera
en mis manos las llaves de la dicha
y un incierto destino desdichado.


Mi amor tiene dos vidas para amarte.
Por eso te amo cuando no te amo
y por eso te amo cuando te amo."


- Pablo Neruda


...and in English...


"You must know that I do not love and that I love you,
because everything alive has its two sides;
a word is one wing of the silence,
fire has its cold half.

I love you in order to begin to love you,
to start infinity again
and never stop loving you:
that's why I do not love you yet.

I love you, and I do not love you, as if I held
keys in my hand:  to a future of joy --
a wretched, muddled fate --

My love has two lives, in order to love you:
that's why I love you when I do not love you,
and also why I love you when I do."

- Pablo Neruda translated by Stephen Tapscott

Friday, July 26

what excites your spirit?

"Be patient.  Respond to every call that excites your spirit.  Ignore those that make you fearful and sad, that degrade you back toward disease and death." - RUMI

Thursday, July 25

Milagros Teran - in DC - TONIGHT

- mixed media on paper -
"Mi soledad te pertenece
sale a caminar y baila en las esquinas
vuelve a las canciones de cuna
y a pintarse los labios de rojo
delante de los hombres.

Mi soledad te pertence.

Dormitan ancladas en mis puertos
las teorias de catedrales y monjas sin cabellos
y por eso soy tuya,

en los minutos fugaces de mi alboroto
tenaz contra el tiempo
contra todo lo escrito y deshecho
vengo de nuevo a darte vida
surges de los recuerdos
y estoy sola
contigo."

- Milagros Teran, Julio 1988

The talented Nicaraguan poet will be presenting her bilingual book, "Las Luces en la Sien / The Lights at My Temple" at 6:00 PM - Portico Bookstore, 1350 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.


Wednesday, July 24

my heart says follow through

- mixed media -
"I don't wanna wait in vain for your love.
From the very first time I rest my eyes on you, girl,
my heart says follow through..." 
- Bob Marley (1945-1981)


Tuesday, July 23

my world of lovers

- 2013 mixed media from my journals -
My heart is burning with love
All can see this flame
My heart is pulsing with passion
like waves on an ocean

My friends have become strangers
and I'm surrounded by enemies
But I'm free as the wind
no longer hurt by those who reproach me

I'm at home wherever I am
and in the room of lovers
I can see with closed eyes
the beauty that dances

Behind the veils
intoxicated with love
I too dance the rhythm
of this moving world

I have lost my senses
in my world of lovers

- RUMI

a delightful poem that found me after my morning yoga and meditation


Monday, July 22

every living moment as prophecy

- mixed media collage from my journals -
"Unconscious people read the scriptures
like parrots saying Ram, Ram, 
in their cages.

It's all pretend knowledge.  
Read rather, with me, every
living moment as prophecy."

- LALLA (14th century)

Sunday, July 21

half agony half hope

- 2013 mixed media -
“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever. 

I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it..."
- Jane Austen (1775 - 1817)


Saturday, July 20

piensa en mi

- from 2007 journals - mixed media -

si tienes un hondo penar
piensa en mí,
si tienes ganas de llorar
 piensa en mí,
ya ves que venero
tu imagen divina, 
tu párvula boca,
que siendo tan niña,
me enseñó a pecar.
piensa en mí
cuando beses,
cuando llores,
también piensa en mí.
cuando quieras
quitarme la vida,
no la quiero para nada,
para nada me sirve sin ti.

- Agustin Lara (1900 - 1970)


Friday, July 19

after all, it is written in the stars

- mixed media from ROMANCE series -

"Woman, I know you understand,
The little child inside the man,
Please remember my life is in your hands,
And Woman, hold me close to your heart,
However distant, don’t keep us apart,
After all, it is written in the stars…"
...
- John Lennon (1940-1980)

Thursday, July 18

porque yo te quiero

- 2013 mixed media -
No te rindas, aún estás a tiempo - 
De alcanzar y comenzar de nuevo, 
Aceptar tus sombras, 
Enterrar tus miedos, 
Liberar el lastre, 
Retomar el vuelo. 
No te rindas que la vida es eso,
Continuar el viaje,
Perseguir tus sueños,
Destrabar el tiempo,
Correr los escombros,
Y destapar el cielo.
No te rindas, por favor no cedas,
Aunque el frío queme,
Aunque el miedo muerda,
Aunque el sol se esconda,
Y se calle el viento,
Aún hay fuego en tu alma,
Aún hay vida en tus sueños.
Porque la vida es tuya y tuyo también el deseo,
Porque lo has querido y porque te quiero.
Porque existe el vino y el amor, es cierto.
Porque no hay heridas que no cure el tiempo.
Abrir las puertas,
Quitar los cerrojos,
Abandonar las murallas que te protegieron,
Vivir la vida y aceptar el reto,
Recuperar la risa,
Ensayar un canto,
Bajar la guardia y extender las manos,
Desplegar las alas,
E intentar de nuevo,
Celebrar la vida y retomar los cielos.
No te rindas, por favor no cedas,
Aunque el frío queme,
Aunque el miedo muerda,
Aunque el sol se ponga y se calle el viento,
Aún hay fuego en tu alma,
Aún hay vida en tus sueños.
Porque cada día es un comienzo nuevo,
Porque esta es la hora y el mejor momento.
Porque no estás solo, porque yo te quiero.
- Mario Benedetti (1920 - 2009)


Wednesday, July 17

feel the artistry moving through

- mixed media -
"Observe the wonders as they occur around you.
Don't claim them.
Feel the artistry moving through and be silent."
- RUMI

Tuesday, July 16

cómo duele que estés tan lejos

- 2013 mixed media -
"Te conseguí la luz del sol a medianoche
Y el número después del infinito,
E instalé la Osa Mayor en tu diadema
Y tú seguías ahí como si nada;

Endulcé el agua del mar para tu sed,
Te alquilé un cuarto menguante de la luna,
Y como buen perdedor busqué en la cama
Las cosas que el amor no resolvía.

Y cómo duele que estés tan lejos
Durmiendo aqui en la misma cama;
Cómo duele tanta distancia,
Aunque te escucho respirar
Y estás a cientos de kilómetros

Y duele quererte tanto,
Fingir que todo está perfecto
Mientras duele gastar la vida
Tratando de localizar
Lo que hace tiempo se perdió...

Acabé con los jardines por tus flores,
Inventé la alquimia contra la utopía,
Y he llegado a confundir con la ternura
La lástima con que a veces me miras;

Que triste es asumir el sufrimiento,
patético es creer que una mentira
convoque a los duendes del milagro,
que te hagan despertar enamorada.


Por qué nos duele tanta distancia,
Fingir que todo está perfecto
Mientras sientes que te duele
gastar la vida durmiendo aquí en la misma cama...

Cómo duele..."
- Ricardo Arjona

Monday, July 15

through dreams

- from my studio -
She poured stars into my hands and asked me to WISH.

She explained the sacred beauty of stones and told me to DARE.

She blessed the pen and paper and begged me to CREATE.

- excerpt from a dream originally posted years ago...a lot of my ideas are brought to me through dreams


Sunday, July 14

beautiful times - ours

- 2013 watercolor from series A Thousand Kisses Deep -

"There may be more beautiful times, but this one is ours."
- Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980)

Saturday, July 13

the real lover

- mixed media -
“The real lover is the man who can thrill you by kissing your forehead or smiling into your eyes or just staring into space.” 
- Marilyn Monroe

Friday, July 12

just like a woman

- 2013 watercolor from A Thousand Kisses Deep series -
"...She takes just like a woman, yes she does...
She makes love just like a woman, yes she does...
And she aches just like a woman...
But she breaks just like a little girl...

When we meet again,
introduced as friends,
please don't let on that you knew me when,
I was hungry and it was your world...
Ah, you fake just like a woman, yes you do...
You make love just like a woman, yes you do...
Then you ache just like a woman...
But you break just like a little girl..."
- Bob Dylan

seven days by the sea...watercolor meditations 



Thursday, July 11

play flirt kiss

"There is a smile and a gentleness inside.

When I learned the name and address of that, I went to where you sell perfume.

I begged you not to trouble me so with longing.

Come out and play!

Flirt more naturally.

Teach me how to kiss.

On the ground a spread blanket, flame that's caught and burning well, cumin seeds browning, I am inside all this with my soul." - RUMI

a lovely poem that found this morning after my yoga and meditation

Wednesday, July 10

a sacred vessel of perfection

- detail from my journals -
"Do you think you can control the universe and improve it?  I do not believe it can be done.

Everything under heaven is a sacred vessel and cannot be controlled.  Trying to control leads to ruin.  Trying to grasp, we lose.

Allow your life to unfold naturally.  Know that it too is a vessel of perfection.

Just as you breathe in and breathe out,

there is a time for being ahead and a time for being behind;

a time for being in motion and a time for being at rest;

a time for being vigorous and a time for being exhausted;

a time for being safe and a time for being in danger.

To the sage all of life is a movement toward perfection, so what need has he/she for the excessive, the extravagant, or the extreme?"

- 29th Verse, Living  the Wisdom of the TAO, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer


Tuesday, July 9

patience and curiosity

"We have what we seek.  It is there all the time, and if we give it time it will make itself known to us."
- Thomas Merton


Monday, July 8

sending NEW MOON kisses

- 2013 watercolor -
"Those kisses you sent, I found them wandering around the house. 

They were acting a little lost, not knowing exactly where I was. 

I was busy upstairs. 

But now we are all having tea and talking about you, and wishing you were here. 

And they imparted all you intended. They did well. 

One more thing: I have seen you at your best and at your worst; still you are always welcome near me." - HAFIZ 



Sunday, July 7

siete dias sin sopa

- 2013 watercolor from a series -
anticipation
one week
siete dias
bicycles and bridges
clouds
rainfall
sunlight
moon-less skies
salty kisses
shades of blue
embraces
memories
laughter
secrets
cigars and cigarettes
shared dreams
pies
soup?  no thanks.
boardwalk funland
castles in the sand
watercolors
a thousand kisses deep
stretching
breathing
loving
missing
reading
wondering
why?
dancing
shhhhhh...sleeping
otra chela
un poquito de ron
mas pastel?
y mis sopas afrodisiacas? talvez mañana gracias.
insanity
sweet sweat
humanity
family
wet towels
sunburns
chaos
cookies
watermelon
did she tell him?
giggles
no diggity
crepes
faraway bright stars
guitar
fireworks
patriotic panties
awake at 3 AM again
insomnia
delicious afternoon naps
los poemas de la Juana
los cantos de mañana
el baile de una diosa abandonada
como sopa olvidada

from my journals this past week



Saturday, July 6

adventurous

- mixed media -
"I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened, and I'm not afraid to look behind them." - Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

Friday, July 5

mermaid tales

- mixed media -
I dreamed I was a mermaid. My underwater world was encrusted with crystals, corals and precious stones. The moon was my Mother, the sun was my Father.

from a series of Mermaid Tales from my journals...

Thursday, July 4

heart and soul

- mixed media -
"A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people."
 - Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

Wednesday, July 3

completely taken over by passion

- mixed media from ROMANCE series -
"I don't believe in rules.  I think it's the heart that should talk.  The first thing about love is that you have to love yourself.  No relationship will work unless you do...I wanted to be his friend.  I thought he would be a good friend to have.  But we were completely taken over by passion, and it was completely, utterly unexpected on both sides.  That made it more exciting, because it was so unexpected...Yes, I do believe in soul mates." - Diane von Fürstenberg (b. 1946)

Tuesday, July 2

coral dreams - from my 2007 journals


At the edge of the sea with my feet in the sand, fiery red treasures appeared.

The ancient coral had traveled hundreds of miles from the depths of Mother Ocean's womb.

I gathered several large nuggets of the protective amulet, symbolic of rebirth, healing and wisdom.

excerpt from a dream, originally published in 2007

Monday, July 1

blue oceans and lions

I dreamed with blue oceans and lions,

I heard his voice calling to me...

I wrote to him in blue spanish

~~~~~~~

lineas azules,

besos celestes,

abrazos morados risas rosadas,

y luz infinita...


excerpt from a letter written many moons ago...