BLOOD, PAPER and MONEY Blood relatives, the blood shed in slavery and free servants, and lives obliterated;Paper trails of birth, marriage and death certificates, letters, and decrees, and the lack of a paper trails that keep some family members nameless and homeless;Money: the root of all evil woven through kingdoms, beliefs, and commerce. Pieter van der … Continue reading Chapter one, The Confessions of a Mother
creative writing
Living With Gratitude
The landscape, frosted white and crispWith dark branches reaching towards the misty skyLike black gloved fingers only just visible say 'hi'While foggy strata conceal things, Valley veiled.And as the sun appears, o'er the hills,Melting frost: rooves drip and crows craw,Owners whistle and call...For their dogs. Tis peace and contentment That envelope my week.Today I think … Continue reading Living With Gratitude
A Sensory Glimpse
The temperature is dropping to 0°C at night Lying in bed, trying to sleep I hear that stairs creekAs it shrinks and pulls tight For a moment I wonder If someone is creeping Up the stairs. In the early morning light I see a dusting of frostLeaves looking sugar coated and crispy. Today is sunny, … Continue reading A Sensory Glimpse
Writing About The Process of My Ancestors-story (ancestry).
I want to say a little bit about the process of researching and writing about my ancestry on my mother's side. I'm sure we all have destructive components to our personalities: sometimes the components are both helpful and harmful. My harmful components create problems in my writing (and other projects). Problems I faced: I tend … Continue reading Writing About The Process of My Ancestors-story (ancestry).
Dear Mr D. Washer Mc Hine
Dear Mr D. Washer Mc HineMy dear old manI will miss you dearly.You were such a support To me in the last four yearsWhen we didn’t know muchAbout anything hereIn Scotland.Although you were shortAnd small, Most peopleThought you should haveBeen biggerYou were there for meDay in and day out.Even in the middle of the nightI … Continue reading Dear Mr D. Washer Mc Hine
Friday Art Studio: My Expressive Art – ‘Soda Can Torso’ in a swimsuit.
The Soda Can Torso, in a swimsuit, was my second creation, while working on a project with my art mentor, Ilhaam Stolof. I want to clarify that the point of my art was not art therapy but that art can always be therapeutic to the artist and viewer. My brief was to make art daily … Continue reading Friday Art Studio: My Expressive Art – ‘Soda Can Torso’ in a swimsuit.
In Appreciation of Owls.
Why am I drawn to owls? I asked you, in yesterdays' post, what you think of owls and here are some thoughts: love their wise human look; love owls; there are owls in our neighborhood - they are such silent fliers therefore difficult to track; they are beautiful, mysterious and a little haunting; and that … Continue reading In Appreciation of Owls.
Nocturnal Encounter
30 past twelve Thirty past twelve In the dead of night listening: I hear nature...Open my window wide...Lean out... River rippling Ripple-ripple, High pitched Toot toot. And again Toot toot Ripple-ripple Rippling river;Echoing toot toots. I gaze out into Darkness: Inky sky and A couple of diamonds. Black velvet hills Meet the valley Where the … Continue reading Nocturnal Encounter
Ramblings from my Teacup
When we long for things other people have Have you ever been at the beach or park and you see someone walking along with a lilt in their step, hair flying in the breeze and they seem to embody the picture of ideal happiness or health. Maybe it elicits a feeling of slight envy; you … Continue reading Ramblings from my Teacup
Matriarchy Mandala
Continuing my search and formulation of my heritage follows on from Discovering my Ancestry I discovered that I have ancestry from the beginning of the colonization of the Cape, South Africa, by the Dutch East India Company in the seventeenth Century. Obviously it starts centuries before but I hadn't realized my roots in South Africa … Continue reading Matriarchy Mandala
