Farewell Victoria by Blue2black

of our relationship and we decided to kind of like do these spaces kind of dedicated to the revival of poetry and spoken word in a kind of a reawakening of sorts of poetry. And you know, over the course of a year and a half, I would say two years, we've been hosting spaces together. You know, on a constant basis for, you know, anything from, you know, three hours to seven hours. And yes, we got to know over 200, you know, poets through the course of that time. And you know, it's, it really has been an absolute honor, first of all, you know, meeting all of you. And you know, having, you know, see like had the opportunity to also, you know, collaborate with all of you in the poetry and aesons. But as she kind of wrote there, you know, the poetry and aesons event wasn't really a planned thing. It was just kind of blossoming. It was the right thing to do at the right stage. We were kind of forming as a community and it was the natural thing to do next. And, you know, you are kind of joined here on the stage here with probably the two men that she had, you know, the biggest relationship with I would say to such a degree. And, you know, it's, it's definitely, it's not for me, it's not for the event. This is a, you know, kind of looking back at the people that she touched, the people that will, you know, be remembered by her and so forth. And I definitely want everybody to know that they will definitely be some music and poetry. You know, also invited to the space. But definitely know that this is probably going to be more of an emotional type of space. But I also have David up here. I have David, why don't you say hello to everybody? Thanks, Blue. Hi, Blue. How you doing? Yeah, thanks for having the space. Hi, everybody. Yeah, you know, usually I probably talk a lot. I don't know if I'm going to do that so much this space. But so that's not going to say too much at the moment. I'll just kind of say what comes to me. When it comes to me, if that's all right. That's good. Not a problem. And then let's start saying hello to everybody here. We start with you, the artistry. I know you pretty much, you know, we're also right there from the start. So why don't we go with you there? Hey, Blue, David, everyone. Yeah, it's not circumstances I never expected. Well, here's the thing we knew that Vicki was ill and stuff, but I like to just believe that everyone's going to be fine a lot of the time. So I find it very sad. But I don't really know what to say, you know, it's just I just find it like an awful situation. But I do feel like hopefully, well, I knew Vicki well. We spoke on the phone a few times. We spent hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours on these spaces too. And I loved the heart that she had for lots of people, but also like, especially it was a lot through her art too. But she was more than just, she was a lot more than just a poet, you know, I think that she was someone that gave her all to the people that she interacted with. I find, I think that I believe that she really enjoyed spending time with everyone I'm here to, especially because maybe she was in isolation and stuff a lot. So I find hopefully like, well, she was obviously going for all of this stuff. I don't I think that hopefully like I don't know, I don't know what to say. So I'll do my best, you know, I only heard the spaces happening. It seems quite sudden, you know, always does. Yeah, I just don't like that you can be talking to someone, everything's fine, everything's normal. And then boom, that was the last time you ever, you ever going to speak to them again, you know. So I think I think that's sad. The plans that you made that you make with people, the time, time is a cruel muster maybe. But I know that she'd be happy that we're all here, you know, she probably wouldn't want to make a, you know, she probably want to hit, want people to share the poetry and stuff and I'm not feel like they can't do that. Yeah, there's, I mean, obviously she was a big, she was a big connector. There's lots of people here right right now. It's sad that people probably find out the news in a staggered way. Some people know and then other people don't and then you sort of like go, what the heck's going on? Is this actually true? So yeah, love you all and rest in peace, Vicki, you know, she was, she gave me something that, when I first met, you know, she, I was, it was, it was probably with you guys, Salcer and Jody, you know, it's good to see you guys. I've not spoke to you guys for quite a long time. Now probably about six months. And, and I believe that might have been my first met, Vicki. And I was yapping away about like family crests and stuff and, and she just happened to have family crest software like where they actually, she was in charge of a family crest and stuff. And we were talking about it, she was like, I need disinformation, disinformation, disinformation. And she actually designed my family crest because I mean, I didn't know where one was or where you find them or how they even get made. And she just happened to be someone that had the actual software that was linked to all of her. I don't know how it works. But hey, I treasured that and I sent it to all, I didn't send it to all of them. I sent it to both my brothers and I was showing everyone, I was like, check this out, my friend Vicki, just made us a family crest now that we actually have something that we can be like, that's cool. I don't know why, why a family crest is cool. You tell me, but you did it for centuries and, and it sort of went out of fashion. And, she had so much prestige, you know. And so it was pretty awesome as she did that. And that was, she had no reason to do that, you know, she didn't ask for any money. I mean, and I couldn't afford to give her any money, you know. But I just hope that the time that we did spend together, you know, that she had a good time. And I hope that it was, you know, cool. And I think that I think that she did. And I think that lots of people who are here, I think we all enrich their life. So as much as it's a sad day, you should still think positive thoughts, you know. I want to say she really, she really, really loved these spaces. You know, and she did, did speak about when she was in isolation the long time ago, many years, many, many years. And this wasn't, this wasn't around like, you wouldn't believe how much she loved it here. Yeah, I just know that for certain. Absolutely. For those of you who don't know, like, she literally had to go to hospital when the hasmat suits. She was very vulnerable to allergies and, you know, kind of, you know, kind of allergic to life. And, you know, that's why she really was, you know, a boffin in virtual reality. You could really go and visit her galleries in Spatial. It's a bit, you know, that spatial closed down. But, you know, that really gave her the opportunity to kind of still integrate with people, and, you know, on a digital basis and have that kind of digital identity. And in her time in isolation, you know, for years she was completely isolated from anybody. And so the spaces really made her blossom. It made her the whole, our hope is anality come out. And, you know, she had ample time, just kind of speaking and being introduced to everybody. And, you know, she, she really was also, you know, a lecturer in poetry. So she was more than capable of handing all of you. And, you know, the main thing is, is that, you know, she, she really gave her, her, her entire being as, you know, on a digital, on a digital basis. She, she didn't help back. She, she really liked when what you see is what you got. You know, you didn't need to meet Vicky twice. You met her the first time and you kind of knew where you stood with her, you know, what she's about. And she will definitely always have wisdom and, you know, good memories and brilliant, you know, poetry in response. So with that being said, let's go to say hello to Mariah, their Mariah. I also know you had a very close relationship with her there. So let's go to you. Hey, Blue, thank you for having this space. Hey, David, the hardest tree. And yeah, as TK, Topper, Rosa, everybody that's at Jarl rules, I was keeping it together. And now y'all are making me cry. Yeah, I probably been almost three years ago, two and a half or three years ago, that I first met Vicky in a space, one woman in Famy Khan space. I think it was on a like a Friday night in a very beginning. And Smiley, I don't know if a lot of you are familiar with who we haven't heard from Smiley in a long time. So I'm not sure about what's going on with her. But she had a unique way of reading poetry. And she Smiley in one woman and Famy and I just started reading poetry. I don't remember who read the first poem, but we went on all night with it. And that was the first time, I think I ever read poetry in a space. And so then I just started following one woman around in all of the spaces. And the rest is pretty much history, but she was just such a wonderful person. It is a wonderful person and had so many accomplishments at such an early age. And she was just so fucking humble about all of it. The one of the most humble people I have ever known to have accomplished so much in her short life. And she was aware that my husband was sick. He's probably sick for about three and a half years. And before he passed away in March. And she and Famy both reached out to me. Victoria called me that night. And we were on the phone for two to three hours, at least minimum. And I mean, that's just kind of person she was. She gave her time to other people as much as she could. And like David said, she loved these spaces because she experienced so much pain and isolation in her own life. And people here made her feel really appreciated because she was. And like artistry said, trying to make, trying to feel positive about this because I mean, we all go at some point. And she contributed so much to so many people. And she didn't, you know, she didn't have to do that. She was an academic. She could have just gone on with whatever she was doing with her own life and not bothered with anybody else. But she wasn't that kind of person. Yeah. And she's definitely going to be missed. But she's also still around, definitely still around. And I know a couple of days after she passed, you know, I was starting to feel like something was not right. And I started writing a poem on July the 18th. That's the date I had at the bottom of it. And I didn't even know what it was about. I didn't really feel like I was writing it. It was just coming out. And it was a part two of a poem I'd already written and finished and was done with. And it wasn't that big of a deal. The subject mattered and even mean that much to me. It was about an old abandoned hotel that had had its heyday in like the 1920s or 30s. And then fell out of favor and part of it caught fire. And then it sat, you know, in that condition. And then was eventually demolished. And for some reason on July the 18th, I got the inspiration to write a part two to that poem with the metaphor of that hotel being a woman that had been great and then crashed and burned. And it's like somebody else was writing that poem. And I was the conduit. And I never understood it for I mean all month. I'm like, why am I writing this? Why I'm done? I was done with this. And I don't even know what it means. I don't know what's going on here until David reached out to me a couple of days ago and then it all made sense. And then I realized what the poem was actually what part two was actually about. I'll try to read it.