Perth Words... exploring possibilities.

Possibility of Success in Rhino Conservation

February 11, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

Thank you Dr Ian Player for your dedication and example.

White rhino crash by Etienne Osthuizen

The Southern White Rhinos

Just over a hundred years ago the southern white rhinos were on the verge of complete extinction, with less than 20 rhinos remaining. Hunting by Dutch and English settlers had taken a devastating toll.

In 1895, the area of these rhinos, which is now Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park in South Africa, officially became a protected zone. After rebounding slightly, by the mid 20th century additional measures were taken.

Operation Rhino: The operation was headed by Dr. Ian Player. Breeding groups of rhino were captured and relocated. They were moved to Kruger National Park, private reserves, and even zoos. The goal was to reestablish viable populations. It worked.

By 1960 there were 650 southern white rhinos, by 2010 there were 18,800. Today’s current population estimates are at 20,000.

Ian Player (INSLA)

As a game warden, Dr. Player worked tirelessly to relocate rhinos. Among his many…

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So easy…

February 9, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

When I was younger with two little ones, I was right into cooking and housekeeping.

Now – not so much.

If what needs to be gets done, gets done – great.

Otherwise, I know it will still be there later.

Cooking these days, is more about convenience.

So although I don’t usually do this, hey, it’s a great idea: breakfast, lunch or dinner – in a mug!

A Delicious Dance

In my kitchen

I contemplate a new mix,

a special combination

with heightened flavors.

The perfected recipe.

At last, a chance

to bite into real love!

The thrill of discovery

I’ve tried unsuccessfully

to master, for years.

Many times before,

I tried blending,

picking ingredients

so carefully…

impatiently

stirring the pot.

But I wrongly used

wooden utensils –

failed to find

the perfect dish,

until you added

that extra dash.

That Mysterious tang

which previously

eluded my search –

that ultimate formula.

Tempting my taste buds,

leaving them bereft

of that special essence,

everlasting love.

You are the recipe

and lust the icing

on my now perfected

carrot cake of life.

(from “Hidden Capacity ~ a poet’s journey”.)

@FrancesMForde #FrancesMacForde #BOOK:HiddenCapacity #POEM:ADeliciousDance

#poetry #FavoriteRecipies #LovePoems

Posted in Books, Hidden Capacity, Love, Poetry, Romance, Writing | Tagged BOOK:HiddenCapacity, FavouriteRecipies, FrancesMacaulayForde, LovePoems, POEM:ADeliciousDance, poetry, romance | Leave a Comment »

40 deg today…

February 8, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

I’ve probably posted this from my 1968 Notebook before but I’m remembering (and wishing for) the pool we had in our Kitwe backyard.

African Sky

heat of the day

cool of the night

clear blue sky

such a beautiful sight

trees so green

(greener than I’ve seen)

earth rich and brown

rain pouring down

to make the hour cool

like diving in the pool

when the heat gets you down

then the coolness of night

with stars shining bright

but before they appear

comes the scene held so dear

there’s no more exquisite sight

than day changing to night

and the reds and the golds

which appear in the folds

of the African sky

when night is nigh

@FrancesMForde #FrancesMacForde #POEM:AfricanSky #1968Notebook #Sunsets #AfricanSunsets

Posted in 1968 Notebook, Africa, Poetry, Writing | Tagged 1968Notebook, AfricanSunsets, FrancesMacaulayForde, POEM:AfricanSky, Sunsets | 3 Comments »

A Book Can Change a Life

February 8, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

‘Teach a child to read… and you give them the world’…

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‘A Letter in My Purse’: From Slain Poet Shaimaa El-Sabbagh

February 7, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

Thanks Jessie Lenndennie from Salmon Poetry for sharing this.

ARABLIT & ARABLIT QUARTERLY

Shaimaa El-Sabbagh, the activist who was shot dead at a rally in Tahrir Square yesterday, was also a poet:

A letter in my purse

By Shaimaa El-Sabbagh, trans. Maged Zaher
————————–
I am not sure
Truly, she was nothing more than just a purse
But when lost, there was a problem
How to face the world without her
Especially
Because the streets remember us together
The shops know her more than me
Because she is the one who pays

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Film friend…

February 6, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

Alan Iverson Credits.

Alan Iverson‘s website is quite impressive. It clearly shows the projects he’s worked on, projects available for development and super easy to navigate.

I’ve read ‘Ghost Town’ and look forward to producers (it’s never just one these days) coming on board to develop the series, so I can say to Alan; “I knew you when…”.

If you’ve got a project you’d like Alan to work on with you, contact him through his website. He’s a top bloke – a hard working and conscientious team player!

@FrancesMForde #FrancesMacForde #AlanIveson #FilmFriend

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Observations on a train…

February 5, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

Avail. ‘For Sale’.

Melissa

Another routine journey before ‘vibrate’ became the norm.

Muffled music begins and everyone near searches in pockets and pouches for their mobiles. Melissa speaks loudly and I observe.

So busy performing, she appears to ski over life!

What people wear and what they say seem more important than any action.

Melissa looks sixteen, but is probably twenty-odd. Her eyes hold age, but not on first impression, you have to look deeply.

She is the sort who falls madly and passionately in love with the best looking guys who orbit her world. But it never lasts.

The falling ~ the flirting ~ the first act of sex… The games, are enough.

She doesn’t really like sex, but knows how to use it, anything after that pales, and Melissa exits without even a backward glance.

Sometimes, she’ll tell them, sometimes not. Often left wondering what they’ve done wrong they’ll question, “Was it my performance?”

The world is slowly becoming populated by good-looking, emasculated guys asking each other “Why?”

Melissa flits happily between her trendy unit in Scarborough Daddy pays for, the city where Mum lets her use her own Gold Visa card and University; a playground of fresh meat every new semester.

Swapping courses frequently, she dabbles in a little bit of every discipline, not concerned with marks, just passing to keep the coffers open.

Melissa has no intention of finishing anything but wants to stay in her young world. She doesn’t intend changing her life and enjoys being looked after.

Daddy’s little Princess.

She has no ambition other than to decorate her reality and be seen and heard in all the right places.

For most people, it’s easier to let her have her own way – her tantrums are awesome.

Because she demands it, she always gets exactly what she wants!

@FrancesMForde #FrancesMacForde #BOOK:RailTales #ObservationsOnATrain #PeopleWatching

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Red

February 3, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

RED is supposed to be

fiery tempered

liable to catch alight

at any time, smouldering

heat – just waiting

to ignite – right?

That’s on the outside…

Her surface simmers

but inside she’s easily hurt,

has no confidence and

feels fat when she isn’t.

She just wants to be

loved for who she is.

Wants someone to see

past her red hair and

the stereo-typing.

@FrancesMForde #FrancesMacForde #POEM:Red #poetry #identity

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Announcing the Begorrathon

February 2, 2015 by Frances Macaulay Forde

Thanks to Munster Literature Centre and Salmon Poetry for keeping me in touch while I’m not there but also when I am, the fabulous The Salmon Bookshop & Literary Centre soothes my poetic mind. I LOVE Ireland and applaud Irish Month so sharing everywhere I’m able!

The Fluff Is Raging

The heart of an Irishman is nothing but his imagination.
George Bernard Shaw

March is coming, and that means St. Patrick’s Day, but there’s much, much more to Irish culture than shamrocks (which, by the by, are NOT four-leaf clovers) and driving snakes out of the country (this never actually happened either). St Patrick wasn’t even Irish! He was born in Wales. Or Somerset. Or Scotland. But not in Ireland!

Ireland has a surface area of 32,000 square miles and a population of 6.4million meaning it is the same size as South Carolina and has the same number of inhabitants as Indiana. That’s right, it’s not big, but for such a small island it packs a hefty cultural punch:

Some of the world’s greatest plays, novels and poems.

Four Nobel Prize winners (Yeats, Shaw, Beckett and Heaney) … will their names be joined by John Banville, Emma Donoghue, Colum McCann or…

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