Frankie has been with me for 9 months now, and he’ll be 6 in July and I’ll be 71 in July …
Frankie
Frankie is my doggie
Supposedly a champagne colour
But more like a dirty off-white
woolly picnic blanket
Friendly by nature
On hind legs he prances
Then promptly hit sits
Holds out his soft curly paw
He has the Cafe waitresses
Melt at his doggie command
Frankie knows how to score
Treats galore come his way
He is a happy winner everyday
Ivor Steven (c) April 2022
Hello readers and followers, you are most welcome to participate in our new format from “Go Dog Go Cafe”, which is being organised by Donna Matthews, an interesting format of writing a “Haibun”, so read all about how to write a Haibun, and you are all welcome to join us at Go Dog Go Cafe, and post your articles here on “Haibun Wednesdays” …by clicking on the link at the bottom of this article >>
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Autobiographical poetic prose accompanied by haiku.
Bruce Ross
In his old age Basho, who may be credited with establishing the haiku form, undertook a long journey to the remote regions of northern Japan, fully expecting to die before completing it. He did complete the journey, and his record of it has become a classic of world literature and an example, in the broadest sense, of haibun, autobiographical poetic prose accompanied by haiku.
– Journey to the Interior, American Versions of Haibun, Edited by Bruce Ross
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Originally posted on my site, 27th November 2017.
Yeah .. my concete void has finally been filled ..
Concrete Void
I’m becoming impatient,
Here waiting,
Waiting for a concrete lid.
Too many stop signs,
And lifetime bans.
I’m a good man,
So I’ve been told.
But there’s a chasm,
And the concrete’s,
Yet to fill the void.
……..To my readers that knew about my new verandah, “now nine months old”, and sadly it has been without the patio/floor area being concreted for all that time.. Yippee, today the mission has been accomplished. Thanks to my newly appointed concreter “Damian Maloney”, Yep, he’s on my recommended list. And Lizzy The Lizard Of Wizardry, was curiously looking on…..
Ivor Steven (c) April 2022
A few days ago(29th Nov 2017), I had started writing a poem about Penny Farthing Bicycles, prompted by an article in the Geelong Advertiser newspaper, the arrival in Geelong of eight members of the Melbourne Bicycle Club in March 1880, as per featured picture above, courtesy of the Geelong Heritage Centre Collection. Then I was chatting with my friend Jane of Janebasilblog, she had just sent me the song and lyrics of the Mary Hopkin hit, “Those Were The Days”, from 1968, and I mentioned The Kinks were one of my fav’s from that era, and of course their song “Lola”. After our chat, I starting thinking [which is dangerous for me] about writing a crazy, combined, mixed up poem… The piece below is the result of those thoughts, and to my older readers, you’ll notice all the phrases written in Italic, are song titles taken from The Kinks album “The Kinks Collection”. So apologies to Ray Davies for using his song titles in such a manner.
“Where Have All The Good Times Gone”
I remember the olden times
Of pennies and farthings
Pounds and pence
When money made no sense
Mary Hopkins sang
“Those Were The Days”
And the Kinks song “Lola”
Was the best number one ever
Many a lazy Sunny Afternoon
Spent down near Waterloo Sunset
Where we would all dance
All Of The Day And All Of The Night
My Friends would all dress-up
Like Dedicated Followers Of Fashion
Unlike that lonely Plastic Man
Who faked the Death Of A Clown
Way back then, You Really Got Me
You fired me up, here in Victoria
Thousands of Days forgotten in the burn-out
Charred in a cloud of Big Black Smoke
But now, I’m Tired Of Waiting For You
Wondering, Where Have All The Good Times Gone
Ivor Steven (c)
Originally Posted, 29th November 2017. 4.00pm
My Pacific cruise was coming to an end in April 2018 and this was the last poem that I wrote during my cruise, as I recalled photographing the “Eleven Sunrises” of the cruise.
Eleven Shades of Ocean Sunrises
the ocean’s sunrise
my daily prize
evoked my gaze
like a glitzy floor-dance
Mother natures
star performer
her razzle and dazzle
upon morning sea drizzle
reflections of colour
her horizon of vigour
purity defined
a royal skyline
endless over time
eleven days she was mine
Originally posted by Ivor Steven (c) April 2018
Dear readers and followers, here’s a great opportunity for your writings to be read by other writers, and also to find and meet other writers. You are very welcome to participate, come along and visit our writer friendly site…..by clicking on the link at the bottom of this article >>
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Welcome toPromote Yourself Monday. All Go Dog Go Cafe community members are invited to postonelink to one specific piece of their writing (600 words or less please!) they have published on their blog, Facebook page, or Instagram feed into the comments section below.
If you post a link, be sure to read some of the other great writing people have linked to.
The Featured Image above, contains my words and some thoughts about the art of how I write poetry. A big thank you to “Coffee House Writers” for posting the article on their Instagram, and Facebook, sites … https://www.instagram.com/coffeehousewriters3/
https://www.facebook.com/coffeehousewriters3
Icy. (a Haiku)
A decade has gone
Since that icy day in May
Loneliness is cold
Ivor Steven (c) April 2022
My nostalgic poem “Hills and Hollows”, is featured in “Go Dog Go Cafe’s , Throwback Friday” segment today
Good morning dear readers, today’s poem is one I wrote on my phone while I was lying in bed early in the morning, during September 2018. I think I was half asleep or half awake, answering a few of my readers comments. I would like to sincerely thank Kate ofCalmkate – aroused, for inspiring me to write this piece way back then, despite me probably being in a state of dreamy slumber.
Hills And Hollows
I’m a sprightly sparrow
I don’t like to wallow
Come fly with me tomorrow
Above the hills and hollows
I’ll swim the river of sorrow
Walk through fields of green and yellow
Pushing my old empty barrow
Full of my memories to follow
Looking for her golden halo
Somewhere over the rainbow
Ivor Steven (c) September 2018
G’day, and welcome to my blog site. My name is Ivor Steven, I live in Geelong…
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Hello readers, and yes I am still reminiscing about my Pacific Ocean cruise, here is another poem from April 2018 …
Circumference
as far as the eye can see
an endless horizon surrounds me
encircling the dark blue ocean
waving to a pastel aqua sky
I turn to port-side
my tangent shadow follows
I walk to forward
my world is full of rippling white caps
I stand on aft
my view is an edge-less rim
a vast rolling sea
as far as the eye can see
above is our universal dome
lingering clouds of chrome
casually floating by
sunshine appears to fly
changing the Pacific’s hue
cobalt to royal blue
Ivor Steven (c) April 2018
Another poem from my Pacific Ocean cruise in April 2018. Actually this piece is not on my web/blog site, so I am thrilled to be posting this old poem here today
Reading On Deck And Ashore
I am in a poolside recliner
reading Brendan Ryan’s book
observing fellow passengers
strolling the pool deck
some bustle along
others meander by
gazing around and carefree
they all smile and say Hi
Penelope and her mother Dianne
stop for a chat
we agree, a nice place to sit
meet friends and relax
we are in port at Lifou Island
tenders take us ashore
I have Robert Okaji’s book in hand
to read while laying on pure white sand
the air is warm and humid
a pleasant sea-breeze
caresses my brow
another sunny day on the beach
Ivor Steven (c) April 2022
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 