Betcha' Didn't Know....

Today, I was reminded of a story...

Before I met the love of my life, I did actually do a bit of dating. One of the more colorful characters I dated (who shall remain nameless), was a Native Plant Restoration Biologist by day, and a Fire Poi Spinning/Dumpster Diving/Burning Man Earth Guardian most nights, weekends, and for 7 solid days in late summer.

What is Poi Spinning, you ask? Well, Poi is a performance art in which a ball or balls suspended from a length of flexible material, usually a plaited cord, or chain, are held in the hand and swung in circular patterns. Poi is one of the traditional performing arts of the Māori people of New Zealand, and has developed into many forms used worldwide.

If you light the Poi on fire, for example, you are spinning "Fire Poi".....like this:

Fire Poi Spinners are the people you will generally see on the outskirts of free concerts in city parks (or literally outside concerts that you have to pay to get in to) or at art festivals like Burning Man. They are usually found together in groups with your didgeridoo players, traditional jugglers, gyroscopic jugglers (devil sticks), ribbon dancers, the odd Mime or two, etc. (hacky sack games will sometimes spontaneously sprout up in and around the performing artists, because there is room, but should not be confused with a "performing art". Hacky sack is a legitimate sport.)

Anyway. Yeah. He was "that" guy (not literally THAT guy in the picture, but "that" guy).

I'm trying really hard not to be derisive, but fear that I'm failing miserably. For this, I do apologize. And yet I go on....

So, one day he shows me these beautifully hand crafted "fish", made with emerald and blue satin fabric, stuffed with batting, looking quite remarkably like beautiful...um..."stuffed animal fish" (replete with sequins...lots and lots of sequins), that he had designed and sewn himself. Because, as we all know, any hippie worth his sea-salt sews his own clothing, costumes, poi, and shoes (yes, shoes).

He attached them to his poi chains and off he went, spinning into the night!

The reason I'm telling this story is that a) it just cracks me up in that smug "judgemental-semi-conformist-person-laughing-at-people-who-I-don't-understand" kind of way, and 2) I want some sort of record claiming (most probably pointlessly) intellectual property for what I dubbed his creation. Are you ready?



Wait for it.....wait....for....it....




KOI POI!

Good, right?