Michael,
I am interested. Thanks to you I now have links to Dr Topul Rali et al and their work on the Massoia bark in PNG. There is also interesting discussion recently around the alleged illegal harvest & export of the bark by Chinese merchants from PNG. Hum, the plot thickens!

Phil, the 'flame of the forest' is the d'Albertis creeper (Mucuna novoguineensis). Keith just posted a lovely picture with Jimmy's poem. There are other varieties found elsewhere.

Michael, we do have the massoia bark in the Gulf. Its called the 'paiha' in my language. Its a common item found in the medicine man's bilum. I heard talk about commercial harvesting of the bark in the province. I will find out more.

Is Massoia anything like Tigaso (Campnosperma brevipetiolata) Michael? I've often wondered why that hasn't been commercialised. Or maybe it has somewhere?

I gather that the 'flame of the forest' is the d'Albertis creeper (Mucuna novoguineensis). You still see it in the forests in the north of Western Province. I remember the first time I saw it. I just stared at it for several minutes. It would be truly sad if it becomes rare.

Michael, Thanks for the encouraging comments on the Soji. I will definitely work on improving my poetry in that form.

And spot on regarding the "Flame of the Forest" metaphor. I recall seeing these beautiful vines hanging down low, lighting up and draping the river banks all around me in glorious red as my folks paddled up and down small river tributaries in the Gulf Province on fishing or hunting trips.

Sadly, many of the same rivers today are either clogged or are now used to float out and ship out logs. The flame of the forest rarely display its beauty before our eyes now. You paddle or get your banana boat further and further upstream to see these gorgeous flowers if you are lucky.

As I write, RH has “convinced” local landowners (Gopera Investment limited) of East Kikori and Vailala inland areas in the Gulf Province, and government authorities to turn large tracts of forests on customary land within the East Kikori Timber Rights Purchase Agreement Area, into oil palm plantations.

The oil palm project aims to plant some 2,500 hectares every year for the next 20 years. Another large scale oil palm development is planned further north east on the border of the Gulf and Morobe Provinces.

This means that the entire length and breadth of the Gulf Province has been ear-marked for oil palm development! RH of course will lay its “greasy palms” on the timber beforehand.

Some of us from the province are working behind the scenes to oppose these plans and educate our people on the importance of conserving our forests for the benefit of future generations.

Michael, thank you for introducing me to the soji. I have been reading up on it. And I am liking it. Below is my feeble first attempt at a soji. I need to work on it. I stick to the theme of the disappearing rainforest and reflect on our ignorance and complacency in this regard through my favorite flower in the forest:

Flashes of red glow among the trees
Fade in my dreams in the dark
The flame of the forest burns out as I sleep !

Tenkyu olgeta for the comments. I was moved to learn recently of a group of Gulf Province women who have taken a stand and refuse to spend a single toea of their money at Vision City or any RH linked outlet they know of in quiet protest against logging in the province. I am joining them.

Michael, thanks for the ‘glass tower tanka’, and for making the point through contrast.

In the short form of poetry, I am beginning to like the Haiku and the Tanka amongst others. I am still learning to write them. They are hard to do.

I think the genre force the writer to be disciplined and when done well, they communicate so powerfully.

Rimbunan Hijau is tok bokis in Malaysian for Evergreen.

RH is a disgusting blight in the forests of PNG.

But paraphrasing Judge Barnett at end of his inquiry into illegal activities in the logging trade in PNG: "Without corrupt pliable elites acting as lawyers, accountants and front men most of the overseas loggers would never have got a foot into the forest."

Even now the sacred forest of Central Lavongai are being de-SABL-ised by such people.

God forgive them all.

I wonder if the landowners, from whose land these forests have been stripped and pillaged, will ever be able to afford to travel to POM to see (let alone stay at) this so called magnificent hotel.

It's just utterly disgusting, knowing that this hotel is built from other people's demise.

Why build a hotel that no ordinary citizen could ever afford to stay in. Build much needed cheap housing estates instead, so local citizens can be given the opportunity to buy their own home.