To be swept downstream
on the river of lust
is the reckless result
of despair.
To be blind to the rapids
of mating’s strong pull
is the mindless attempt
to console.
To ignore the undertow
of deception and lies
is the fool’s vain quest
to survive.
To head for the fall
in a barrel untight
is the daredevil’s denial
of fear.
And lust masked as love
is and endless loop
of lonely hope
and hopeless loneliness.
Therese Benadé, author of Kites of Good Fortune, writes about her heritage and upbringing in South Africa and her travels and living experiences on five continents. A Canadian citizen, she lives in Ipswich, Massachusetts with her husband, Jim Armstrong. Her two adult children are Rex and Kirstie van der Spuy. Read more...
A story about the lives of the author’s ancestors at the Cape of Good hope in the 17th and 18th centuries. Published 2004.
The Afrikaans translation of Kites of Good Fortune.
Set in South Africa between 1880 and 1927, the book explores the intellectual and moral influences on South African women of the ‘head, heart and hand’ education brought by American teachers from Mount Holyoke College.
Stories from my life touching on my childhood, my travels and teaching career, on being an immigrant, on learning languages and unlearning racism.