Perth Words... exploring possibilities.

Ruthie May, author of Count My Christmas Kisses, answers Ten Terrifying Questions

December 8, 2014 by Frances Macaulay Forde

Love the title…

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MPU International Poetry Competition: Results are in!

December 5, 2014 by Frances Macaulay Forde

Congratulations to all the winners of this excellent Poetry Competition.

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Zimbabwe: “Roots & Wings”

December 5, 2014 by Frances Macaulay Forde

Proud to live in Northern Rhodesia (1954 to 1976) now Zambia, I spent many happy times in what was then our nearest glamorous destination, the thriving metropolis of Salisbury. It was a great place for shopping, nightlife and bands and I spent many long weekends there but doubt I would recognize it now as Harare, Zimbabwe.

Like most travelers on their way further south to Durban or Jo’Berg by road or train, I would stop at Bulawayo, also known as the ‘City of Kings’ by its Zulu founders.

Regular e-newsletters from Eddie Cross are posted on his website and find their way around the world, out of Bulawayo (at great personal risk). My heart breaks for the people of Zimbabwe.

This poem was inspired by one such newsletter in 2007 and was first published on the Sokwanele website: ‘This is Zimbabwe’ .

Roots & Wings

When someone asks for a memory
of Africa, I always remember
those dusty hours spent outside
Katie’s Khaya under the Mopani…

Quiet melodious chattering,
the smell of sunshine and family.
Bright white sudza plops in the pot
while bundu sticks crackled with fire.

Low stools where we crouched
in total concentration on a square
of a dozen small indents for stones,
scratched out of Africa’s skin.

Today Eddie talks of ‘roots and wings’,
of flights of fear or stoic stance:
the holes left by those who uproot
and the bravery of those who stay…

I visualize a map of Zimbabwe
systematically marked with holes.
Is this just another game of ‘Stones’
where only one man gets a turn?

Frances Macaulay Forde © 2007

#FrancesMacaulayForde #EddieCross #Bulawayo #ThisIsZimbabwe #POEM:Roots&Wings #Sokwanele

Posted in Africa, COMMUNITY, Poetry, Writing | Tagged Bulawayo, FrancesMacaulayForde, POEM:Roots&Wings, Sokwanele, ThisIsZimbabwe | 2 Comments »

Apricot House (after Wang Wei)

December 4, 2014 by Frances Macaulay Forde

I find the translation of poetry fascinating.

O at the Edges

Apricot House (after Wang Wei)

We cut the finest apricot for roof beams
and braided fragrant grasses over them.

I wonder if clouds might form there
and rain upon this world?

The transliteration on Chinese-poems.com reads:

Fine apricot cut for roofbeam
Fragrant cogongrass tie for eaves
Not know ridgepole in cloud
Go make people among rain

Each adaptation poses its challenges, and this one was certainly no exception.

First I identified key words and determined how or whether to use them.

Apricot, roofbeam, cogongrass, eaves, ridgepole, cloud, people, rain.

Apricot was a given. It offered specificity, and feels lovely in the mouth. Roof beams, as well. Cogongrass didn’t make the cut. It is indeed used for thatched roofs in southeast Asia, but it felt clumsy; in this case, the specificity it lent detracted from my reading. And rather than use “thatched” I chose “braided” to imply the layered effect of thatching…

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The next wave (part 4): WA women writers to look out for

December 4, 2014 by Frances Macaulay Forde

In case you missed it, readers.

looking up/looking down

The next wave is a four-part series featuring exciting Western Australian women writers with manuscripts ready for submission or nearly there. I hope you’ll remember their names and watch out for their published work.

My final two guests are Michelle Michau-Crawford and Louise Allan.

Michelle Michau-Crawford

Michelle and I share a love of short stories—and Paris. Michelle recently spent a month there, collects French literature and is currently attempting to learn French so she can read her collection. ‘Despite it being the so-called City of Love,’ she says, ‘it is my favourite place to visit alone.’ Her love affair with the city began by accident on a trip in 2008. Having been a huge Leonard Cohen fan all her life, she discovered he was performing in Lyon two weeks after a conference she was attending in Dublin. ‘I extended my trip, bought a scalped ticket and went to Lyon…

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Poetry Postcards: A Crowd

December 3, 2014 by Frances Macaulay Forde

@FrancesMForde #PoetryPostcards #PP:ACrowd @Nature @Flowers @Daffodils

Posted in nature, Poetry, Poetry Postcards, Wordless Wednesday, Writing | Tagged Daffodils, Flowers, FrancesMacaulayForde, nature, PoetryPostcards, PP:ACrowd | Leave a Comment »

Hello…Will you… I do.

December 2, 2014 by Frances Macaulay Forde

There’s this cute idea making the rounds on Instagram :

1. Where you met your partner,

2. Where they proposed

3. Where you said “I do”.

I’d love to participate but I don’t have a smart phone or Instagram account.

However, I will participate, as much as I can.

1. 1973 Kitwe, Zambia at an audition for a keyboard player with the band ‘Paper Lace’.

2. In his town house, St Mary’s Road, Midleton, Ireland, June 2003.

3. Hillarys Boat Harbour, Western Australia, November 2003.

@FrancesMForde #Midleton,Cork #Kitwe,Zambia #HillarysBoatHarbour,WA #Love #Romance

Posted in Africa, COMMUNITY, Ireland, Love, Romance, Writing | Tagged Cork, Frances Macaulay Forde, HIllarysBoatHarbour, Kitwe, Love, Midleton, romance, Zambia | 6 Comments »

1968 Notebook: ‘unknown’

December 1, 2014 by Frances Macaulay Forde

In the

silhouette

of your

beauty,

your dreams

hidden,

Why?

Maybe

your dreams,

are

mine!

(Written in the back of my 1968 notebook ~ author ‘unknown’.)

@FrancesMForde #1968Notebook #Romance #Poetry

Posted in 1968 Notebook, Poetry, Romance, Writing | Tagged 1968Notebook, FrancesMacaulayForde, poetry, romance | 2 Comments »

TV shows from my childhood…

November 28, 2014 by Frances Macaulay Forde

BIll & Ben Flower Pot Men, updated.

A fellow blogger posted this today and brought back so many memories.

Although I was 16 when she was born, I loved Andy Pandy; “Here we go Looby Loo, here we go Looby Li, here we go Looby Loo, all on a Satuday night.”

Also Bill & Ben when I was very young in the UK, then later when I had children of my own, we watched Mr Squiggle, Play School and Sesame Street, together.

I’m surprised Louise didn’t mention Noddy & Big Ears… Little me loved that show – Golly was my favorite!

I had so many Enid Blyton books which I devoured over and over again.

I miss the pace and sweet innocence of that time when children were allowed to just get lost in ‘Walking round the garden, like a teddy bear. One step, two step, jumping in the air!’

Thanks Louise, for all the memories today.

@FrancesMForde #Bill&BenFlowerPotMen #AndyPandy #Noddy&BigEars #Children’sPrograms