Author: 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.

Brave and Reckless ‘Moon Ate The Dark’ Creativity Prompt Challenge

For those writers who ate a “piece of the moon” last night…. here’s a challenge for you

Go Dog Go Café

photo-1537861295351-76bb831ece99

One of my favorite writing challenges I hosted on Brave and Reckless since I launched the blog was the Moon Ate the Dark Challenge back in 2017. I still love the prompt and would love to see what new pieces of writing or art it might inspire.

The Rules

Write or create an original piece that embraces the phrase “Moon Ate the Dark”. The prompt can be used as the piece title, you can use the phrase intact or break it up however you like within the written piece
I will accept poetry, prose, flash fiction, essay, creative nonfiction or art
Pieces of writing should be 1,500 words or less
Your submission must be sent to me by email by midnight EST on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 at her.red.pen.wordsmithing@gmail.com. It should include:
1. your prompt response
2. a suggested image (if submitting writing)
3. a brief biography
4. a link where readers can…

View original post 77 more words

Promote Yourself Monday, February 24, 2020

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…..

Go Dog Go Café

Welcome to Promote Yourself Monday. All Go Dog Go Cafe community members are invited to post one link 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.

View original post

Stephen’s Sunday Chat 2/23/20: Evolution of a Cafe, Promoting Podcasts, Writing Workshops, and Veterans.

HERE >> Exlpained, the inner essence of what “Go Dog Go Cafe” is about, and what is happening here on a weekly basis

Go Dog Go Café

After Michelangelo died, someone found in his studio a piece of paper on which he had written a note to his apprentice, in the handwriting of his old age: ‘Draw, Antonio, draw, Antonio, draw and do not waste time.’
Annie Dillard from The Writing Life page 79.

Write, friends, write, friends, write and do not waste time. As simple as that the wisdom of the great artist and genius, Michelangelo, has been coopted for us here at the Go Dog Go Café this week. And written we have… and posted and visited and commented and liked. This has been one of the most exciting weeks yet at the Café as the original vision of the café being a friendly place filled with warm, talented and inspiring people has come to fruition. We are building a healthy and supportive writing community that has attracted many like-minded souls who journey together writing…

View original post 865 more words

A Book Fair

This weekend over on Weekly Prompts, the weekend challenge is; Surface. Please go and visit the Weekly Prompts fabulous site by clicking >> HERE Below is my take on the prompt, Surface, with photos and my poem ‘A Book Fair’….

A Book Fair

trestle table after table

there’s rows and rows

of second-hand books

on the surface

the books appear worn

but inside their dusty covers

that untold story awaits

a magical gem for eager eyes

youngsters hungry for a fantasy tale

adults search for a mystery unseen

and hidden underneath their old surfaces

the printed word still astounds

there on display in the town’s historical hall

treasures yet to be discovered still abound

Ivor Steven (c) Feb 2020

How Many Grails In the Sky’s Sails

I’m on my plumber’s ladder

scaling rung after rung

climbing higher and higher

upwards, to the sun

seeking a holy grail

(is there more than one?)

hovering in a sky full of sails

waiting, to revive our resurrection

hold on to your heart now

hold on to your soul

don’t let the world bring you down

and leave you cold …

Ivor Steven (c) Feb 2020

Throwback Friday, Write To Me, by Ivor Steven

A post I published on ‘Go Dog Go Cake’ in the ‘ Throwback Friday’ edition…..

Go Dog Go Café

Write To Me

Write to me, please

All I can do is quietly listen

Listen, to your sweet voice

Soothing my throbbing soul

Write to my swollen eyes

My life is becoming blurry

And my reading’s in over-freeze

Like in the bible’s first Eve

Write to my broken voice

Your’s always sounds like an angel

Gently baptising my ears

And caressing my absent mind

Write to my fallen heart

Mine’s still here to share

Always so true and soft

Like a lover’s morning kiss

Please write to me

And set me free

Ivor Steven (c) Feb 2020

View original post

Lost Nights

Here on my “Go Dog Go Go Cafe” site, Devereaux Frazier and Beth Amanda are currently hosting the Tuesday Writing Prompt Challenge. Today’s prompt: Use the words “dangerous thoughts” in a piece of poetry or prose.

I read about the prompt before I went to bed last night, and during the night I had a little dream/nightmare, and at 3.00am I wrote this ‘Senryu’….. hmmm……maybe I shouldn’t read these prompts just before I go to sleep….

Lost Nights

My dangerous thoughts

Remain locked away in dreams

No more liaisons

Ivor Steven (c) Feb 2020

A Star Of Hope

This morning I entered my garden

My own personal Eden

And softly caressed hope **

The star of my night’s telescope

The night sky

Cries goodbye

My star above

Cries for love

Our universe sings

On my angel’s wings

I dream of flying

My inspiration to keep trying

Come what may

Of nature’s ways

On wet or dry hay

Us lovers did play

Under a happy blue sky

After swimming the bay

And crossing a dying stream

I held onto our dream

In a field of flowering yellow

I heard our song on a cello

** Featured Image above: A photo of my Philodendron selloum, called “Hope”

Ivor Steven (c) Feb 2020

A Rapunzel Tomato Tower

A Rapunzel Tomato Tower

The morning autumn dew

settles upon your evolving view

climbing tall and reaching up high

your leaves are almost touching the sky

protecting the day lily now replete

and the ruby geranium at your feet

your large groups of yellow flowers

producing bunches of fruit on your Rapunzel tower

growing into red grape-like flights

delicious, mouth watering bites

bunches of cherry tomato eats

the season’s meal-time treats

Ivor Steven (c) Feb 2020

“Soon We’ll Be Found”, Lyrics by, Sia.

Come along it is the break of day
Surely now, you’ll have some things to say
It’s not the time for telling tales on meSo come along, it won’t be long
‘Til we return happy
Shut your eyes, there are no lies
In this world we call sleep
Let’s desert this day of hurt
Tomorrow we’ll be free

Let’s not fight I’m tired can’t we just sleep tonight?
Turn away it’s just there’s nothing left here to say
Turn around I know we’re lost but soon we’ll be found

Well it’s been rough but we’ll be just fine
We’ll work it out yeah we’ll survive
You mustn’t let a few bad times dictate

So come along, it won’t be long
‘Til we return happy
Shut your eyes, there are no lies
In this world we call sleep
Let’s desert this day of hurt
Tomorrow we’ll be free

Let’s not fight I’m tired can’t we just sleep tonight?
Turn away it’s just there’s nothing left here to say
Turn around I know we’re lost but soon we’ll be found

Let’s not fight I’m tired can’t we just sleep tonight?
Don’t turn away it’s just there’s nothing left here to say
Turn around I know we’re lost but soon we’ll be found

Let’s not fight I’m tired can’t we just sleep tonight?
Turn away it’s just there’s nothing left here to say
Turn around I know we’re lost but soon we’ll be found

I know we’re lost but soon we’ll be found [3x]

Promote Yourself Monday, 2/17/20 and Roundup for 2/10/20

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…..

Go Dog Go Café

What a great week we had last week! WOW! The numbers: 202 comments, 169 views, and 36 likes. Most important, we had 25 posts shared with us, now is your chance to go back and take a look at these amazing writers and people… I know I have some catching up to do. As always, stay a while, scroll around, and write, write, share, write! — Stephen