That is a line from one of the poems in Robbie Cheadle’s new book Burning Butterflies.
I Found a Wall with a Simian, a Tiger and a Leopard
… and I immediately thought of Robbie.
I have learned a lot about South African animals from her books, photos and videos, so it was natural that I thought of her when I saw this mural.
Did you know that “most of the monkeys are not indigenous to South Africa and were raised as house pets or bred for the pet trade.”
From – Lion Scream
Tigers
…are not from Africa, either.
From – Lion Scream
Leopards
…. are however, from Africa!
From – Burning Butterflies
Burning Butterflies is Robbie’s most recent book of poetry and imagery.
Through poetry, photography, art and video, she shares her knowledge of South Africa’s wildlife with us.
Robbie not only teaches us about these fabulous creatures, but tells of their plight in man’s madding world.
About Robbie
South African author, photographer, and artist, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated four poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies. .
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
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.
Robbie Cheadle/aka Roberta Eaton Cheadlewas 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, aged 9 months, on the deck of the passenger liner that brought her from the UK to 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.
Filmed by Robbie on her recent visit to Sabi Sands
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!
Robbie Went to Japan
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.
This honest exposé of Africa’s nature highlights Robbie’s love for all flora and fauna.
Writing a review for this book of poetry, photography and art is truly like sticking a square peg in a round hole. It defies categorization. Yes, it is well crafted, entertaining and informative. However, it strikes out beyond those adjectives. It teaches, with heart.
Resa – Near the beginning of the book is a heart touching & humorous free form poem – The Visitor. What bird is depicted, and did you really have this visitor?
Robbie – The visitor is our semi-tame hadeda, Eleanor. She lives on our property with a male bird, although he disappears sometimes and she is always around. I feed her occasionally but not often enough for her to lose her independence as a wild bird. She will wander into my house if she gets the opportunity. I don’t mind her visiting but she can get a little upset if she can’t find her way out again. Then I have to help her. The information in that poem about the loerie birds is also true. We don’t net our fruit trees anymore.
Robbie – There is another poem in the book about our loeries being the fattest birds in the city.
Resa – I was going to ask about that poem.It makes me feel happy. I love it!
Fat Birds (shadorma)
Mangled fruit Product of guzzling Plump loeries Eat and eat I'll have to build a runway Fattest birds in town
Resa – Growing up in Canada we had an American TV show called “Wild Kingdom”. Often it depicted the animals of Africa. They were wild, free, mysterious and dangerous. Did you have a nature show like that? Or, how did you learn about African animals?
Robbie –I have never really watched TV. It was late coming to South Africa and I never developed the habit. I always read a lot though, and one of my favourite series was Willard Price’s animal adventure books. I became very interested in the plight of wild animals as a result of these books, although at that time they mainly focused on poaching and the illegal animal trade. Interestingly, Willard Price was a Canadian.
Robbie – Later in my life, National Geographic magazines came to South Africa and I bought them every month. I had piles and piles of them and ended up giving them away each time my family moved house (21 times during my pre-marital years). After I met my husband, we started going to game farms whenever we could afford it. I’ve learned a huge amount from the various guides and game rangers.
Resa – Then, there’s climate change.
Robbie – Climate change started coming to my attention in the ’90s, but I never really thought about it in connection with our wild animals until the early 2000s. Over my adult life to date, more and more animals have become endangered to a point where the list of ‘least concern’ animals is much shorter than the endangered list. Many ‘least concern’ animals are actually in danger of disappearing due to habitat loss. Over the past 15 years, I’ve become a lot more involved in promoting the plight of our animals and doing what I can to help support them.
King of the Beasts
“To a Lion” is a contemporary poem, that travels, with images, over 6 pages. The reality of the plight of this majestic animal is beyond what people want to comfortably know. I say the truth hurts, especially when one confronts “Canned Hunting”
Resa – When did you learn about “Canned Hunting”?
Robbie – I despise hunting. I don’t understand it and I don’t support it. Canned hunting came to my attention about 15 years ago when I overheard a few of the guides at a game farm talking about it. I didn’t know the term prior to that. According to World Atlas, there are approximately 7,000 lions held in captivity in between 160 and 200 canned hunting breeding farms in South Africa.
Excerpt from To A Lion
You've seen your peers shot - their heads stuffed and mounted Victims of canned hunting Perpetrated by fools who do not appreciate your beauty Or the vital role you play In the maintenance of the African ecosystems And all its amazing creatures
“The Story of the Desperate Salesman”(99 syllable double ennead) and “Nest Selection” (freestyle) are of intrigue to me. The male Weaver bird builds a nest to attract a female. If a female doesn’t accept his nest, he dismantles it. Then he builds another more elaborate than the preceding nest.
Excerpt fromThe Story of the Desperate Salesman
He's been building for days King of construction Improving his intricate weaving techniques Working from dawn to dust Then comes marketing
This building and dismantling is repeated until a female moves in. Somehow this parallels certain thoughts I have about societies, ergo nations. Lots to say about what this “little bird told me”, but then I’d need to write an essay.
Robbie’s poems & photos took me on a journey that was visual, emotional and introspective. A bonus to the entire experience is I learned a lot about poetic form through example. In brackets beside her poems are the types of poetic structures they are written in.
Ekphrastic Poetry with photograph contributions by Wayne Barnes, photographer
Robbie winds up her poetic offerings inspired by the wildlife photos of Wayne Barnes.
Resa – The tone of the poetry is similar to the first part of your book, but takes on an “I want to be free” vibe, with positive suggestion and encouragement. Am I right to think and feel that?
Robbie– Wayne’s photographs are wonderful. You are exactly right in your summary of the poems written in combination with Wayne’s pictures: they are “I want to be free” expressions and do include positive suggestion and encouragement.
Resa – You’ve used mostly Wayne’s bird shots. Is there a reason for that?
Robbie – I believe that is why I chose so many birds for these combos. I see birds as being free creatures that move about and have the compete freedom of the skies. I’ve always though being a bird would be delightful.
One of Wayne’s stunning bird beauties is at 10 seconds in the video below.
The opening words on the promo video above are from one of Michael Cheadle’s nine poems at the end of the book. His work stands on its own. He is a terrific writer, and I felt his pain. He sent this quote, when I asked about it.
Michael – “Writing poems about my anxieties helps clear them out of my mind.”
In the photo below, Robbie holds one of her novels, “A Ghost And His Gold”. This book is a superlative read. Read my review! There is so very much to say about Robbie, that you should just go to her about page!
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.
I thought I knew what was happening to earth’s animals. Now I know what I knew, but better.
Through the use of syllabic poetry, photography, video and text, Robbie takes us on a learning tour of South Africa’s creatures and their environment. I even learned a new term: Sixth Mass extinction.
I don’t know much about poetic structures, but I know what poetry I like when I read it. I like all of Robbie’s poems, even when the message is haunting.
I also know I love animals. Please enjoy Robbie’s videos! They are only a few seconds long.
Robbie teaches about the BIG FIVE: Rhinos, Lions, Elephants, Leopards and African Buffalo.
Did you know Rhinos cry tears when poachers dehorn them?
It’s sad that when teaching about animals we need to teach also about their impending demise. Back away, or put your head in the sand and be part of the problem!
Did you know there are White Lions? They are not albino, but rather white due to “a recessive trait called leucism.”
Robbie has confirmed that the lion at the foot of the tree in the following video of a “Lion in a Tree”, is a white lion. She also says that she has never seen a lion climb a tree before. Imagine having seen enough lions in your life that you could make that statement?
Living in captivity is necessary for survival of many. This baby leopard is so cute, a delight to witness.
Robbie teaches about the UGLY FIVE: Warthog, Vulture, Wildebeest, Marabou Stork and Hyena.
There are many other mammals included in her book: Cheetahs, Wildebeests, Tigers, Wild Dogs, Hyenas, Jackals, Antelope, Monkeys, Giraffes, Lizards, Flamingos and more. She does not forget insects, sunflowers, bushes, fires and all that contribute.
“The Nutcracker” is a short story at the end of the book that for me tied my experience together. Yes, this book is an experience, not just a read.
I would have gluttonously included all of her videos in this post, but have controlled myself. You can find her African Animal videos on her Youtube Channel.
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