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.

Glass Slippers and a Yellow Taxi

Last night, I misplaced my glass slippers

When the golden chariot, turned into a yellow taxi

And I had no faerie godmother to guide me

She was riding her whale, and had drifted out to sea

 

My recital evening, wandered through crystal glee

Recalling live music, and chalices of cheer

The singer Tennyson, finished and noticed me

After a warm handshake, we talked about being free

And discovered, we mutually liked the band ‘Dirty Three’

Then I exchanged, a Tullawalla poetry booklet, for his CD

 

Thank you to Tennyson King and his bass guitarist James, for giving of their time, and being genuinely friendly. During our conversation, I found out he’s a Canadian, from Toronto, on a 3 month tour of Australia.

 

And below a song from ‘Dirty Three’, that maybe I’ve not posted here before…

Ivor Steven (c)  Nov 2019

Wind and Fire

Surrounded by glowing lioness eyes, our planet spins

An orb of soil, oceans and wild winds

We breathe, the air from her magical trees

Consume food, pollinated by her busy bees

Then the ground is watered by our sky’s spasmodic rains

Requiring the hot sun to grow our grains

 

However earth’s perennial droughts, advance beyond our care

Leaving trees and pastures, vulnerably dry and threadbare

Thor’s furious thunder clouds, swiftly flash and glare

Forest fires explode, abruptly becoming our worst nightmares

Fiercely eyeing, fauna and farms, not to be spared

There’s no mercy, from mother-nature’s open warfare

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  Nov 2019

Between The Lines

Hello dear readers, I’m not sure what I was trying to say in my poem here, “Between The Lines”. The words were a quick response to a Prompt, from Pattimouse >> ‘Erase the lines’  https://pattimouse.wordpress.com/2019/11/07/day-7-prompts/    and I’ve basically left the words the same. I suppose they are questions and thoughts that were tumbling around in my mind at that time, and here they are !!

Between The Lines

 

Do you see, a man walking on water?

Did you see, the refugees bleeding?

Do you read, the missing scriptures?

Did you read, your own family tree?

Do you hear, old angels singing?

Did you hear, the songbirds crying?

Do you feel, hard rain falling?

Did you feel, the erased lines calling?

Do you know, who is doing the lying?

Did you Know, the earth is dying?

 

Ivor Steven (c)  Nov 2019

 

Odd Photos

This weekend’s Photo Challenge on Weekly Prompts is, Not The Norm! And over the last few weeks, I’ve taken some rather odd photos, that are “Not The Norm” , of every day life here in Geelong…. Click >>Here, to visit ‘The Weekly Prompts’ fabulous site

A hail-storm at the Box Office Cafe yesterday, and Chris and his dog Lily, looking worried

At the Box Office Cafe again, the two photos are of the framed pictures hanging up in the toilets. The next photo is of some wall art, in the back patio area….All unusual, to say the least

Geelong’s CBD, has numerous works of street art, down the back lane-ways

Another piece of street. And then I was visiting the Valhalla Bar (Yes the same place I go to for one my poetry recital nights) for refreshments, and I took this photo…. apparently his name is Westie, and he has a hole in the front of the bucket to have a drink… very odd….

On the way home I needed a bite to eat, and wow ! a Philadelphia Cheesesteak in the main street of Geelong…. Now I’m home, trying on my new shirt from Kuala Lumpur, a gift handed to me Thursday, by my dear pen-friend from Malaysia, a beautiful shirt, certainly “Not The Norm”, to be chatting to her, cheek to cheek, and truly a lovely day, we spent together ………..

Oddly, I’ve not yet posted this Leonard Cohen, song and video clip…. enjoy……

 

Ivor Steven (c)  Nov 2019

 

Violin Strings (Revised)

Today’s poem, is a piece I originally wrote in June 2017, and the words were influenced by Leonard Cohen’s song, “Show Me The Place”, and this being the 3rd anniversary of his passing, I thought it an appropriated week to re-post my poem. I’ve slightly revised the poem, but overall the meaning of my words have stayed intact..   The Featured Image above, is scanned copy from, “The Wordless Songbook, Leonard Cohen, by George A. Walker, page/113, (A book, in my personal library)

Violin Strings

 

I’m singing a song, about you

Singing words, both wistful and true

From my heart to my soul, the veins

They’re as tight as violin strings

I needed you, to take my hand

Take my hand and show me the way

Show me the way, to a formal debut

Show me the way, into your dancing shoes

 

I needed you, to take my dreams

Take my dreams and show me how to behave

Show me the way, to your family home

Show me how to drink, from your holy grail

I needed you, to take my open heart

Take my heart and show me how to pray

Show me the way, into your world

Show me how to fly, in your milky-way

 

I needed you, to write some heavenly notes

Take my violin and show me how to play

Show me the way, to your harp’s wings

Show me the way, into your tunes

But in the end, you took my heartstrings

Then you burnt my soulful lines

Melting my broken violin

Into unplayable, twisted strings

 

A Singer Must Die

Three years ago

On that day

I cried

I cannot forget

The death of a ladies man

When he found his, sisters of mercy

 

On this day, hallelujah

I now, fondly remember

By the rivers dark

In the land of plenty

Our, Field Commander Cohen

Singing from above, in his, Tower of Song

And below, I’ve attach the entire music/video of the ‘Leonard Cohen Memorial Concert’ from,  Centre Bell, Montreal, QC, Canada | November 6, 2017. The video goes for 1 hour and 30 minutes, and is certainly well worth watching. Enjoy !!

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  Nov 7th 2019

 

Tea Leaf’s

Tea Leaf’s (Revised)

 

It’s early morn, time to break away

From last night’s, dream-time soiree

But first, I must make my bed

“Yes, just like Mum said”

Oh, I gratefully do remember

As I straighten the quilt cover

And I like to fluff-up my pillows

Ready for an evening’s bout, with stupid cupid’s arrows

 

 

I’ve a long, storage bedhead shelf

However I’m smiling, satisfied within myself

It’s always untidy and in disarray

And last nights scribbles are all on display

I gather up this multitude of loose words

The mess of my midnight songbirds

Snippets of my subconscious memories

Pieces of forgotten wistful dreams

And I begin to decode my jumbled site

Then emotionally, I start to rewrite

About the tea-leaf’s, floating on a calm sea

Forming love letters, from her to me

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  Nov 2019

 

Tullawalla # 13

Hello dear readers and followers, again I must apologise for not being on WordPress and blogging with my normal zest….  I’ve been arduously  preparing and typing up my Thirteenth Tullawalla Poetry Booklet…..I’ve been lucky enough to have a wet weekend, which gave me enough time to prepare the booklet. For new readers that don’t know about these booklets, they are basically the reason why I write poetry. I produce the booklets for the sole purpose of raising funds for my favourite charity organization, the MS Society, in Australia via the MS Charity Shop here in Geelong. And actually all money’s I receive for any of my poetry submissions, I also donate to the MS Society…..Amazingly, there is a total of “533 poems”, in my collection of 13 Tullawalla Booklets. Anyhow the booklet is finally completed, and as always, they are available for purchase, either as a hard copy or a PDF format….. All proceeds go to the MS Charity Shop, here in Geelong West….. Please contact me here through my web site page and I can chat about arrangements from there…. Oh, the booklet is called “Tullawalla:  Waterlogged Boots”, and coincidently, my poem “Waterlogged Boots”, was published at ‘FREE VERSE REVOLUTION’ today >> visit there site >> https://freeverserevolution.wordpress.com  …. And here is the link to my website >> ivors20.wordpress.com

 

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Of course my song selection here, is going to be a Leonard Cohen classic, and I’m picking his song “Anthem”……. yes, let us all ring the bells……. “7th Nov 2016″……

“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in”   …. Leonard Cohen, from his song , Anthem, 1992….

 

Ivor Steven (c)  Nov 2019