Roberta Writes – Thursday Doors: Birds of Eden #Birds #colours #poetry

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Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

Today I am combining to weekly challenges, namely, Thursday Doors hosted by Dan Antion here: https://nofacilities.com/2022/04/07/random-hartford-doors/ and Word Craft Poetry #TankaTuesday here: https://wordcraftpoetry.com/2022/04/05/tankatuesday-weekly-poetry-challenge-no-268-4-5-22-tastetherainbow-color-poetry/

During our recent road trip, we visited the Birds of Eden bird sanctuary in Plettenberg Bay. This is what the website says about the bird sanctuary:

“Birds of Eden’s unique two hectare dome (the world’s largest) spans over a gorge of indigenous forest. Currently it is home to over 3,500 birds from over 220 species, with the main focus being African birds.”

You can learn more about Birds of Eden here: https://www.birdsofeden.co.za/

A doorway with no door
A doorway with a waterfall as a door
Doors to a bird feed storage room
Safety doors to ensure the birds don’t escape – they would die in the wild
Door to the gift shop

We saw some amazing birds. Here are a few:

Red Ibis
Flamingo

This waddling goose made me laugh:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9MafLaAw36s

Red Ibis at birds of Eden:

Taste the Rainbow poetry challenge

Taste the Rainbow refers to colors. You do not have to write about a rainbow in your poem. Just include a color in your poem. 

My tanka is a little sad but it ends on a positive note.

How tragic the youth

Moulded by chronic ill health

Tinged purple by pain

Shadowed by anxiety

Still, his silver lining shines

by Robbie Cheadle

Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

Published

82 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – Thursday Doors: Birds of Eden #Birds #colours #poetry”

    1. HI John, the birds are amazing, aren’t they? I do believe you know the history of my young Michael. I was thinking about how it must alter your attitude to life to be sick nearly all the time and never feel truly well. And yet he is a gorgeous boy.

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      1. Yes, I thought your poem was in reference to him, a wonderful boy who has had to deal with issues while growing up, as if everyday life isn’t enough…you captured it beautifully with hopeful positivity at the end…

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  8. The birds are GORGEOUS! What a fab little video you have shared here Robbie!
    Sad that they would perish in the wild. After all that is where they came from. Nonethe less they seem quite content in their little lap of luxury.
    I’m with Dave on the poem, sobering and excellent.

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    1. HI Resa, thank you. The poem is about my younger son who is auto immune and suffers from chronic health problems. He is my sunshine boy, despite it all. I love birds and I’m very pleased you enjoyed the video. That goose gave me the giggles. The birds were born in the sanctuary so they have few abilities to survive and get killed or starve if they escape.

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  10. The poem definitely ends on a high note, Robbie, Well done, and the photos are amazing. I’m a fan of birds and would have been enthralled to see that sanctuary live. You visit so many interesting places.

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  11. I have watch children with differing ablities – some shine bright, even when all they can do is smile.

    Somewhere I have an image with three white ibis from Florida! Thanks for sharing the doors and birds too.

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  12. Thank you for including Thursday Doors in your posts. I liked seeing the doors and the birds. Your poem is very moving. I love how you combine all these inputs into one post and bring it together so well.

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    1. HI Dan, I’m glad you liked the doors and the birds. I thought the two prompts went together okay this week. I only mix prompts if they go well together. I wrote this poem about Michael because I was thinking about how difficult it must be for a young person to have their whole life informed by chronic illness. And yet, he is such a lovely young man.

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  13. How we wish every sadness has a silver lining, Robbie. I love your poem. I also love to visit the Birds of Eden. We’ve watched the documentary of Birds of Paradise in Australia. That’s another place I would love to visit someday.

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    1. Hi Miriam, I think it depends on how we view life as to whether sadness has a silver lining. There is usually a benefit someone to any situation. With death, it is often an end to pain for the person who passes. I love birds and I hope you get to visit Australia and see that sanctuary some time.

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  22. I love that waterfall door, Robbie, and the birds are gorgeous, a fun place to visit. My sister would love this because she’s always had at least 5 exotic parrots as pets. 🙂 Your poem is beautifully sad, but I also feel there is always a silver lining, so I liked that you ended on a positive note. Thanks for sharing and have a good weekend.

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    1. HI Lauren, birds are lovely creatures, I do enjoy them very much. We have to go to a lion sanctuary in two weekends time. They have a breeding programme for cats and I am very excited to see the cubs. People who suffer from chronic illness are often very nice and that is the case with Michael.

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      1. I’d love to visit that lion sanctuary, Robbie. They’re beautiful animals, and I hope you take photos to share. 🙂 I understand about kindness that comes from people who suffer from chronic illness. I’ve experienced that, too.

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  27. That looks like a wonderful place to visit, Robbie. I love birds. They’re so beautiful!
    And a sad poem, but I appreciated the positive note at the end. Children are amazingly resilient when it comes to finding joy. Beautiful.

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  28. I love following your YouTube Channel, Robbie. Your video with its vibrant colours and bird voices is a perfect backdrop to your poignant poem.

    My childhood friend, Ruth Roberts, was a music therapist at SickKids hospital in Toronto. The children would make up songs and they would sing together. She told me that she saw the miracles – your silver lining – ever day

    Singing Songs and making melodies can take them away from their struggles and help them feel alive. “It’s like it strengthens them so they can deal with what they have to deal with in a stronger way,” says Ruth Roberts, a music therapist at SickKids Hospital.

    https://www.canadianliving.com/health/mind-and-spirit/article/how-music-is-helping-kids-heal

    I believe that poetry and music ignite healing in our body and soul.

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    1. HI Rebecca, thank you for sharing this information and link. When Greg was very sick, our pediatric surgeon had help from doctors at the children’s hospital in Montreal. They had video conferences to give our doctor guidance. I think Canada is very ahead with treatment for chronically ill children. There is always a silver lining, you just have to look at life correctly. Hugs.

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  29. Firstly I must say Robbie that poem is so perfect, it touches everyone of us. Whether or not we have had a sick child or not. A long childhood illness is hard to cope with , with its ups and downs. I love your positivety at the end .
    The Birds of Eden looks like a wonderful place . A beautiful post all round. Sending love to you and all your family.💜

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    1. HI Willow, thank you, I think all parents can relate two sick children and the anxiety it causes, chronic illness merely add an longer term worry to the mix. Strangely, before I had my babies, I never thought about them being sick. It wasn’t even on my radar when it struck. Birds of Eden is an amazing bird park, the best I have ever seen. Love to you too. I hope you are all doing well.

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