I find poetry in art, and poetry finds art in me.
Poets paint pictures with their words.
Emotions are drawn.
There’s art in the alleys. Sometimes paintings that remind me of my muse, a poetess, are found.
… and then I’m “Laughing to the sky, up to the sky”
Holly, poetess muse, thank you for letting me use your poem!
Pics taken by Resa – April 9, 2025
Toronto, Canada
The Artist:
Robbie Cheadle/aka Roberta Eaton Cheadle was at it before, and she’s still at it . Her mission, as far as I can tell, is to draw attention to critical realities with her creative prowess.
Although an earlier book by Robbie (published 2018), I have just read it recently. Well penned by Robbie via her mother’s memories, this book opened my mind’s eye.
Resa – How/when did the 2 of you decide to write this book?
Robbie – My mother has always told me stories about her life as a child growing up during, and after, WW2. There was food rationing and life was hard. The schools had bomb shelters and you had to go into them if the sirens went off.
My mom was young but her older siblings talked about it, as did her parents who lived through two world wars. I decided to write down mom’s memories and she was pleased. It was as simple as that. Mom had quite a bit to do with the book as she read each chapter and gave me changes if I took to much poetic license. It was a fun exercise and I learned a lot more about her childhood during this time.
Resa – When and/or why did she leave UK for South Africa?
Robbie – My mom left the UK for South Africa after my biological father died of a massive heart attack in front of her. I was three months old at the time. We came to South Africa on a passenger liner when I was nine months old. Amazingly, I recently wrote a poem about it.
(The poem was a response to a writing prompt, reblogged below.)
Allow me to digress momentarily to say how happy I am that Robbie wound up in S. Africa, with the animals and loving them. This is her new painting of a leopard, inspired from her recent trip to Sabi Sands.
Resa – When writing While the Bombs Fell, did the memories come with fond or sad feelings. Perhaps bittersweet?
Robbie – I think the memories about mom’s father and mother are bittersweet. Mom had a free and interesting childhood despite the food shortages. Children could roam around, usually in large packs of mixed ages, and they went swimming, took long walks, climbed trees. I think mom’s childhood was lovely, much nicer than my own children’s as crime and traffic have curtailed freedoms where I live.
Mom’s father died of appendicitis when she was sixteen. It was quite horrific as his appendix burst and he died of blood poisoning. Mom said she went to visit him in the hospital in Norwich just before he died. He looked so awful she ran away and went home. Her mother died of a heart attack induced by high blood pressure in her early seventies. My mother gave birth to my youngest sister just after her mom died. My aunt didn’t tell her about the death for some time as she didn’t want to upset her post-partum.
Resa – I seem to remember you saying you wrote While the Bombs Fell to help children today to understand about war. Am I correct?
Robbie – Yes, that is correct. Young people are very removed from nature and the realities of life. They spend a significant amount of time in imaginary worlds on-line. I believe that understanding history is important to prevent repetition of the same mistakes. The teaching of history in schools has become very selective now, so I wrote this book to present a civilian child’s perspective of growing up during a world war. Admittedly, it feels as if everyone, including the politicians, have forgotten our collective history currently.
(To the left are 2 of Robbie’s many children’s books, some co-authored with her son, Michael.)
Resa – I think young adults around the world would benefit from this book as well. War is an abstract reality. Yes, we see it on the news all the time, but we are detached from experiencing the reality, and often numb from overexposure. What say you about that?
Robbie – I think that is exactly what I was said above. People are removed from the realities of war because it has become an abstract concept and something that happens far away in other places. I think the computer and other games children and adults play, glamourize war in much the same way as it was glamourized in paintings in past eras.
Robbie – I like to write about the realities of war and the devastating impact war experiences have on people, civilians at home and the men on the fronts.I explored this same topic in my novel, A Ghost and His Gold. War destroys lives and countries.
Resa – I adore A Ghost and His Gold! Are you currently writing another novel? If not, any plans to?
Robbie – It is currently very busy at work, and this will continue until the end of March, so I won’t get much writing done outside of poetry and blog posts.
Resa – What is your most recent publication?
Robbie – I published three books last year as follows: Square Peg in a Round Hole, a collection of poems, artworks, and photographs; And the Grave Awaits, a collection of paranormal short stories (a few of which focus on civilians in war situations)
Sesi says goodbye to Granny, a children’s book including photographs and artworks about African elephants as well as some facts about African elephants in the wild.
Robbie – I am working on another anthology of poems for a WordCrafter Poetry Treasures publication. This latest one, book 5 in the series, is called Small Pleasures and the cover is being designed by the talented Teagan Riordain Geneviene.
Resa – Excellent, yes, Teagan is fabulous!
Robbie – I have received first round edits on my collection of South Africa based historical short stories and poems. I haven’t made much progress with addressing the suggestions and comments yet as I haven’t had much time.
Robbie – I am also advanced with a new book of my own poetry called, All About Animals. I have some editorial comments on that book which I need to address, and I also need to create the cover. The artwork is done but I need to turn it into a book cover. I am also working on the artwork for Michael and my new children’s books which is about leopards.
Robbie – I have three other poetry books in various stages of completion, but I generally only publish one a year. I have plenty of time to work on those. I also have a novel about the radium girls and America’s involvement in WW1 that is 2/3rds complete. I need blocks of time to work on a novel so that is waiting. I also have another children’s book outline completed but no artwork as yet.
I have the first four chapters of After the Bombs Fell drafted as well as a middle school book about Alice in Wonderland’s cat, Dinah, in progress. It is all about time for creative projects and I seem to have less and less currently. My youngest son is in his final year of high school so there are a lot of demands, and my father is very ill and that has impacted heavily on my life in several ways.
Resa – I am so sorry to hear about your father!
While she was there, Robbie found some fabulous street art, and thought of me.
You will find other posts about her trip on her blogs, but this one is special to me. It’s not just being thought of, but I believe in the power of art (all the arts), and art in the streets reaches many people that art in galleries never will.
Robbie is a prolific writer. You can find her books on Amazon sites around the globe. Just search “Robbie Cheadle” for children and youth books – “Roberta Eaton Cheadle” for adult books.
Some of her books are also available on KOBO.
Visit Robbie on her blogs:
Roberta Writes and Robbies Inspiration
Robbie has a YouTube Channel filled with African wildlife videos, readings and cooking videos.
On Robbie’s Unsplash Page find African nature & wildlife for free downloads.
In one of my alley wanderings I came upon this fabulous mural, albeit unfinished.
I kept returning. It remained unfinished, but the scaffolding (in slideshow below) kept moving.
On one visit, I met the business owners next door. From them, I learned that the mural had been started about a year and a half earlier, but the artist had been in an accident.
His injuries required lengthy healing, and he had just recently returned to work on the mural.
Finally one day in November, it was finished. I shot over a hundred pics. Unfortunately, I had to return in December.
I told Trent the day had been dark with black clouds, and the pics came out really warm. I would return on a brighter day.
Confession; like an idiot I accidentally had the camera on a warm setting.
All in all I must have returned to the site 8 times.
Returning to the unfinished mural had become like reading a great book, and I was sad when it was finished.
I love intricate murals, as there is so much detail to take pics of.
The slideshow on the right, presents the details I languished in.
I was going to pick a fave, but I kept changing my mind.
At some point I realized it was the back door to the Schevchenko Museum. The sign was always there, but I ignored it because it was all about the mural, for me.
Taras Schevchenko (1814 – 1861) Ukrainian artist, poet & thinker. Once imprisoned by Russia for his views, his rich creative legacy remembers him.
I was dazed by the collection of images and history on the website. I’ll be visiting over the winter months.
Left: Self portrait – click on portrait to visit museum website.
There were always cars parked on the site.
Sometimes they were clean (ish), and I was able to get some cool reflections.
The greenish one at the end is actually reflecting next door artwork.
A Million Miles Away
V1
He said, “You’re a threat”
As his tanks gathered on the borderline
He said, “You must be stopped!”
As his missiles started flying
He shook his fist
And his countrymen fell in line
“It’s us or them”
And our babies started dying
Chorus
V2
Another town, another city
Turned to rubble over night
In darken cellars the children
With each bomb blast, shake in fright
Refugees and wounded
Walk and crawl the road of flight
Is anybody out there
To listen to our plight?
Chorus
It’s a million miles away
CHORUS
How’s your work?
And how’s the weather?
How’s your mom and dad?
The traffic sucks
It started raining
So things have been real bad (1)
So things are really bad (2)
My pickup’s dirty
The dog’s on the couch
Tik Tok has been a bore
The football game
On my 80-inch TV
Was postponed for some stupid war
A million miles away
Another new song, and, yes, another dark one. The four-note motif that runs through the verse might remind you of “Carol of the Bells”. I was thinking of the music that that carol was based on, Shchedryk, a Ukrainian New Years song arranged by composer Mykola Leontovych. Those four notes, though, are thought to be ancient, going back to before Christianity was introduced to Ukraine.
By this motif you may guess that the “he” in the first verse is “Putin” and the country being invaded is “Ukraine”. You are partially right – it is inspired by that war, but the idea is any war, particularly a war where a dominant power invades a lesser one, and how people here can care less about the lives lost. Anyway, I will let the song speak for itself, except that I want to say I think I did a pretty good job channeling my inner “Bob” on the first chorus…
Pics taken by Resa – July – December, 2024
Toronto, Canada
The Artist:
Alley Location Images
Held in Brazil, in 1954, almost 2,000 works of art out of 4,000, were from Latin American Countries
As this magazine is 70 years there is a lot of fading & yellowing. I turned up the white & blacks points a bit to get a better look.
This article is arranged in the same order as in the magazine LIFE May, 1954. The last page is one image.
Here is the cover of the magazine I found this article in. Following is the intro, which is on page 1. I put this out of order, as I wanted to get right to the art.
Pics from photos in magazine © Resa McConaghy – November 2024
Holly has done a wonderful article on Bob Dylan, and again honoured me by using one of my drawings.
On top of it all, Holly as chosen one of my absolute fave Dylan songs – Knocking on Heaven’s Door Written for Sam Peckinpah’s film “Pat Garret & Billy the kid (1973). Dylan has a small and tasty part in the film.
Thank
You
Dear
Holly!
This is a post about Peace, Love, Smiles & a song Trent wrote & recorded..
It began with the John Lennon post I recently did. Trent had selected a Lennon song for the event.
Then it grew into a song and video written and produced by Trent.
The lyrics are poetic, and hold a message inspired by John.
V1
I thought I saw Lennon’s face
From a trolley rocketing by
It disappeared without a trace
Did the vision also die?
His words come tumbling back
From a far off distant land
A great message on each track
A utopian dream so grand
V2
I read the news today (oh boys)
Children-human shields were killed
Drones and bombs made some noise
More innocent blood was spilled
Why is making war so appealing?
Why is love considered quaint?
I think our attitude is revealing
Our devotion to guns a taint
Chorus
So let’s all join in
Sing of peace and love again
For we all belong
In a Lennon written song
It can’t be wrong
So sing along
Let us all join in
All join in
Bridge
Such an imagination!
He made us dream
The world stood as one
Our actions could redeem
Can we remember
Perhaps even enhance
And once again
Give peace a chance?
V3
Today people gave power to the rich
A billionaire grabbed more
We’re told advancing is a cinch
Just give the billionaires more
John trusted the People’s voice
Today that seems absurd
I think that we have no choice
But to make our voices heard
(Chorus)
V4
I found the face in a doorway
Faded into nostalgic hues
The simple picture’s seen better days
Reflecting Lennon’s views
Although the decades whizzed past
Never believe that it is too late
John’s message will always last
Hold my hand, let’s temp fate
(Chorus)
(Chorus)
(Chorus)
Once a week there is usually a Weekly Smile post on Trent’s Blog, He tells about something that made him smile. He asks what made you smile.
This week I’m smiling because a street art post of mine, inspired a beautiful song about “give peace a chance” to be written & video to be made.
I’ve always believed in peace and love.
At first it seemed like another pretty face in the midst of graffiti mayhem.
Then there’s this eyepatch with a crab.
Turns out Cancer, the crab, was sent by goddess Hera to distract Hercules while he battled Hydra.
Suddenly the Hera pendant makes total sense. Goddess Hera is alive and well in Graffiti Alley.
Hera is also the goddess, who lives with my pal, Marina – Art Towards a Happy Day
Here, Hera is alive and well and living as a beautiful dog.
Taking the drawing of Hera that Marina did, I combined it with the image below,
…. to create the header for this post: The Two Heras
Hera drawing © Marina Kanavaki
Pics taken by Resa – May 29, 2024
Toronto, Canada
The Hera alley artist: Not sure at this time
June 18th is Hera’s Gotcha Day. I’m not sure how many years ago it was, but I do know Hera has had about a million years of love since.
You must be logged in to post a comment.