Last week I announced that I was bringing my Guest Writer Spot back. If you’d like to be included in this slot, please get in touch: estherchilton@gmail.com. Poems can be up to 60 lines and prose 2000 words. If you’d like to add a short bio and photo, then great. All I ask is that there’s nothing offensive.
My first guest needs no introduction. It’s the fantastic Robbie Cheadle. Robbie can write beautifully, create wonderful tasty treats which are equally stunning to look at, take brilliant photos of wildlife and paint. And much more! I’m delighted to have her on my blog with her new poetry book. I’ll now hand over to Robbie:
Burning Butterflies: Poetry About Southern African Flora and Fauna
Thank you, Esther, for hosting me today with a poem from my latest poetry collection, Burning Butterflies: Poetry About Southern African Flora and Fauna.
Southern Carmine Bee Eater (freestyle)
Hanging onto the back of a convenient transporter
Any large bird or herbivore will do
Elicit hitchhiker is not fussy
Mouth open it guzzles flushed insects
Dressed for success in bright crimson
The Southern Carmine Bee Eater, aka ‘cousin to the fire’
Due to its attraction to fires
Where it lurks on the edges
Snapping up fleeing bugs
One creature’s drama is another’s feast
Picture caption: Southern Carmine Bee Eater
The Blurb
Butterflies are interpreted, inter alia, as symbols of transformation and change, hope and rebirth, spirituality, the soul, creativity, nature, beauty, and resurrection. Faced with the annihilation of much of the planet’s forests, wetlands, and other habitats for wildlife, all the wonderful things that butterflies symbolise are gradually being destroyed.
This book celebrates Southern African flora and fauna, while acknowledging the threats it faces.
Pre-order Burning Butterflies from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Burning-Butterflies-Poetry-Southern-African-ebook/dp/B0F2SDF2GW
And Amazon UK here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Burning-Butterflies-Poetry-Southern-African-ebook/dp/B0F2SDF2GW
About Robbie Cheadle
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 Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Follow Robbie Cheadle at:
Website: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Blog
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVyFo_OJLPqFa9ZhHnCfHUA
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
TSL Publications: https://tslbooks.uk/product-tag/robbie-cheadle/
Amazon Robbie Cheadle: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robbie-Cheadle/author/B01N9J62GQ
Unsplash profile: https://unsplash.com/@r_cheadle
Esther Chilton 
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