The Poet’s Confused Quill

After lunch, with the air heavy and my thoughts drifting in a fog, I still reached for the quill. Even in these muddled moments, the world offers small reminders — a magpie in the grass, another lifting into the grey sky — that creativity doesn’t disappear; it simply falters and finds its way again. Today’s poem grew from that gentle wobble, from the tiredness and the tenderness of still trying to write when the mind feels a little featherless.





The Poet’s Confused Quill

I’m a pushcart poet
without an axle for the wheels
(maybe all I need is a square meal)

The thick green grass
is soggy and tangled

I’m a muddling magpie
with his featherless quill
stuck in the muddy mire.

The heavy, becalmed air
Is smoggy and breathless

Is the gloomy sky falling down
or will the poet’s hallowed ground
rise up again, when his eyes hear sound






Sometimes clarity returns not in a rush, but in the stillness after confusion — where the long way around becomes the way back to ourselves.



Ivor Steven ©  October 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.

15 thoughts on “The Poet’s Confused Quill”

  3. Beautifully expressed, Ivor. I love the idea that creativity may falter, become muddled, or temporarily lose its way, but it never truly disappears. Sometimes the winding path through confusion is exactly what leads us back to inspiration. Keep that quill moving, my friend! ✍️❤️

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  6. Aw. Hang in there, DearFriend. It’s been a tough and tiring time for you. 😦
    Such a powerful, relatable, vivid word-pics, heart-touching poem. One of your bestest!
    Keep taking one day at a time. Rest when you need to…Write when you want to… 🙂
    You are so right about the fact that often the clarity and creativity come in times of stillness and silence. And, yes…The Poet and The Magpie will both rise up again. 🙂
    OH! Mr. Jackson Browne! His voice and songs are a part of the soundtrack of my life! 🙂
    (((HUGS))) for you and Frankie!!! ❤️❤️❤️

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    1. Yes, Jackson Browne’s song was perfect for my poem, especially with the old bookshelves in the background … 📝📚 … thank you for all of your kind words, and my recovery is going ok, I just have to be patient, Carolyn … 🥰🐶🌏📘😍😉

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