Roberta Writes – W3, Thursday Doors, CFFC, more penguins and a stink bug

#CFFC, photography, poetry, Thursday Doors, W3 2 Minutes

W3

This week’s W3 challenge is hosted by Josie who asks poets to write a poem starting with a line borrowed from another poem.

I selected the first line from Emily Dickenson’s poem, A bird, came down the Walk. You can read this poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/56593/a-bird-came-down-the-walk-359

You can join in W3 here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2026/11/04/w3-prompt-236-weave-written-weekly/

A bird, came down the Walk by Robbie Cheadle

A bird, came down the Walk

It came at a waddling run –

Diving into the bright ocean

And frolicking in the African sun

***

Two friends were encouraged

To join in the swimming game

Wobbling down the jetty

Having fun their only aim

***

Ducking, diving, and floating

Enjoying the gentle waves

Such a pleasurable scene

I could only stand and gaze

***

Suitably cooled and water sated

They rocked awkwardly up the slope

A watching mate breyed laughter 1

At the three tuxedoed dopes

***

Assuming statue-like positions

Basking in the morning heat

Swum out for the time being

Now was the time to retreat

***

But my pleasure was not over

As I set out along the boardwalk

I saw penguins huddled under

And I had to stop and gawk

Penguins on the rocky beach at Betty’s Bay
A sleepy penguin near the board walk
Penguins under the boardwalk at Betty’s Bay
Penguins on the jetty at Betty’s Bay
Penguin basking in the sun on the rocks
This penguin is still moulting and has fluffy winter feathers

Thursday Doors

The photographs below were taken in a restaurant in Hermanus, Western Cape. The middle picture is the door to the ladies cloakroom. The last picture is more of the pictures decorating the ladies cloakroom. The decor struck my fancy so I photographed it and the door for Dan Antion’s Thursday Doors challenge. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/11/05/indian-room/

The first picture is the late Amy Winehouse. I liked this picture.

CFFC

Dan’s CFFC challenge this week is street views with distractions. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/11/02/street-views-distractions-cffc/

Road at the Waterfront in Cape Town with Table Mountain in the background
Road inside Kirstenbosch botanical gardens lined with old trees
Road inside the Waterfront in Cape Town with the clock tower
Picture through the window of the Hilton Hotel in Cape Town of Cape Town Harbour. The highway is running in front.

Stinkbug in the bath

The insect murderer, aka TC, is at a conference in Durban. I sent him these photographs of a stinkbug in the bath and my poem. Had he been home, he would have killed the stinkbug. He wasn’t so who knows where this little fellow is now – perhaps in his bed – haha!

Stinkbug in the bathtub

White ceramic adventure

Insect explorer

Unknown's avatar

Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

Published

73 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – W3, Thursday Doors, CFFC, more penguins and a stink bug”

  6. Another lovely memory trip Robbie… great words and photos..and i learned all about the stinking thanks to my encyclopedia AI on the phone…I had never heard of them . 💜

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  10. A delightful poem and penguin photos–I would gawk, too! It’s so cool to see them like that.

    Someone at that restaurant must love Frieda Kahlo.😊

    People seem to be fascinated by your stinkbug. We have them here, too.

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  11. All wonderful Robbie! And all those places I know so, so well. The best… the gorgeous penguins (of course), but poor little stink bug, I have just removed one of those from my kitchen to just outside.

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  13. I love the photos of the penguins, you’ve been sharing. One of our favorite places to visit when we’re in Pittsburgh, is the National Aviary. They have a group of African Penguins and they are involved in efforts to protect and reestablish colonies of those little guys. I love seeing them in the wild. Thanks for sharing those images.

    I love the poetry and other photos. One of us would have “re-homed” the stinkbug. We do our best not to kill any one that intrudes.

    I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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  19. I love how you combine all the challenges into one post, Robbie. I love the poem about the tuxoed birds. 🙂 They are comical. I agree about the Amy Winehouse painting. The photos are all great. The stink bug? If he came into my living space, he’d be squashed for sure.

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  21. A beautiful and fun nature poem and great photos. It easy to forget that penguins live in South Africa too. I’ve seen those bugs, or bugs that look just like it here in Texas. Perhaps they were stink bugs.

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    1. Hi Thomas, there are 200 indigenous species of stink bugs in America and also an imported species. The African penguins are endangered. I feel like most creatures I see are endangered now. I am planning a poetry collection an fact book about South African birds.

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  24. The penguins and the penguin poem are priceless, Robbie.

    It’s so wonderful that you got to see these adorable animals.

    Your pics for the challenges are cool… but only you could make a fab poem for a stinkbug. Love this post.

    Thank you!

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  25. Your bird poem captures the whimsy of the Dickinson inspiration poem. I don’t know of anyone who can resist penguins. As for stinkbugs, it’s better to try to sweep them outside. If you kill them, particularly in the house, the smell is horrible!

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  28. Wonderful presentation, Robbie. Your poem echoed joy so perfectly from both the view of the birds to the birds point of view.

    Superb gallery. I love the snoozing penguin and the gorgeous road inside Kirstenbosch botanical gardens. A beautiful share as always.

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