The Poet’s Lucky Envelope Humdrum


While waiting for my CHW article to appear last night, I found myself knee‑deep in “lucky envelopes” for the book‑stall dip — a poet’s version of factory work, complete with midnight muttering and a very patient supervisor. Somewhere between the folding and the stacking, this little whimsy arrived.


The Poet’s Lucky Envelope Humdrum


A poem a day is my way;
print five copies of each without delay.
Do not overflow the out tray –
place the copies in relay,
the next five crossways …
and so on – it’s child’s play.

Fold each foolscap page in half,
then fold again, into quarters.
Any fool can do it!
Open an envelope,
shove in the folded page
(No need for that frustrated rage).
Start a row of five;
put the next five on top …
and so on – it’s child’s play
’til midnight ends the day.





And for the soundtrack to this late‑night humdrum, here’s Leonard Cohen and U2 with Tower of Song — a perfect companion for a poet quietly working under the watchful eye of Frankie.




Ivor Steven ©  February 2026

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ivor20

G'day, and welcome to my blog site. My name is Ivor Steven, I live in Geelong, Australia. I'm an ex-industrial chemist, and a retired plumber, and a former Carer of my wife(Carole), for 30 years, who suffered from severe MS. I Write poetry about those personal thoughts, throughout and beyond my life as a Carer. I've been blogging for over 2 years, and writing poems for 19 years. Of course a lot of my poems are about my favourite subject Carole, but since I've been blogging my writings have become quite varied, humourous, mystical, observational, and even a few monster/horror poems.

29 thoughts on “The Poet’s Lucky Envelope Humdrum”

  9. HEY! YAY! and Hooray!!! 😀
    Great work, Ivor and Frankie! “…midnight muttering and a very patient supervisor…” made me laugh! 😀 Oh, yes, music always helps the work get done more pleasantly! 🙂
    I’ve ALWAYS loved your idea of the lucky-dip-envelopes! That your visitors get to pick a poem and take it home with them is such a fabulous and creative and smart idea!!! 🙂 So kind and generous, too! 🙂
    (((HUGS))) to you and your wonderful supervisor!
    ❤️☕🕰 🐕🖋️📜✉️❤️

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