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.

Quote #3

“Knowledge be gets Wisdom

Teach our children more knowledge

Our children will learn to be more wise”

Ivor Steven.

Dimpled Fingers

An insightful and thought provoking poem by my dear friend Jane of janebasilblog . “Together We Can Help”. Please take the time to read her words and add your comments. “Let Us Not Be Silent” https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2018/07/01/let-us-not-be-silent/

Making it write

child poverty

Dimpled fingers
that reeked of crayon and ink,
riffled the fat book whose images depicted
thin children with unfamiliar skin-tones
from different races.

Blatant deprivation
is not pretty. The charity knew this.
Skin was scrubbed and wrapped in clean clothing.
The touched-up, sunrise smiles of these cute kids
seduced even the school-yard bully.

We each paid
our fisted shilling and took an image home.
Girls chose girls, and all knew which boys
were school-yard romance material
by what gender they selected.

It felt virtuous;
saving the children of the world
at the cost of a shilling.

My own photograph girl
boasted exotic black-sheep curls,
milky cocoa skin, ebony eyes that, even
through the monochrome, looked as if the whites
had been soaked in my my mother’s bag blue.
Her smile suggested a regular pastime
of birthday treats, an ignorance
of hunger and misuse.

My mind reeled; beneath
a…

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Is The Plumber A Poet, Or Is The Poet A Plumber

Weekly Prompts Photo Challenge

Unusual Shape

Squares And Rounds

Do you see what I see

There’s a kennel on the shed

‘Twas a little dogs favourite bed

Do you see what I see

There’s a five foot hole in the ground

Plumbing pipes all around

Do you see what I see

There are stormwater pipes under the house

An old plumbers been a dirty mouse

Do you see what I see

There are downpipe boxes and bends

A craftsman joined the ends

Shapes are up

shapes are down

Squares and rounds

The plumber’s had a busy week

The poet’s feeling tired and meek

Far too sore to even speak

A Single Weeping Tree (A Villanelle)

This is my first attempt at writing a Villanelle style of poem. As a beginner, I took the easy way out and restructured one of my old poems, and actually I’ve wanted to revise this old classic of mine, the poem was originally called “This Lost Shadow”, and dear Shefali of writtenframes ,inspired/prompted me to try to write one. I’m not sure if I’ve got the Villanelle style technically ok, so please, I’m open to any suggestions and corrections to my effort here.

I’m singing this song about a single weeping tree

Why am I so sleepy, am I ageing too quickly

I’m writing that book for a soul gone cold

I’m so physically worn and mentally at sea

Why am I so anxious and lonely

I’m singing this song about a single weeping tree

I’m writing a song about my return to the fold

Why am I so sore, have I lost my plea

I’m writing that book for a soul gone cold

I’m a furnace log, burning up with glee

I’m a sinking ship, all about to flee

I’m writing this song about a single weeping tree

I’m an overburdened camel, not to be told

I’m an empty desert, a void, far as the eye can see

I’m writing that book for a soul gone cold

I’m a broken branch, withering and dying, oh so slowly

I’m this lost shadow, wandering this barren land furtively

I’m singing this song about a single weeping tree

I’m writing that book for a soul gone cold

Thank you to dear Shefali for her wonderful encouragement and invaluable assistance, and if you would like to have a try at a Villanelle here’s a very good “How To” link, A link to help you : https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Villanelle

An Award For Ivor.

It’s award time, beautiful people! The Sunshine Blogger Award comes to me from Dancia at .https://danicapiche.com and her wonderful site, Living a Beautiful Life Thank you, Dancia! I am honored. Please visit her if you’re not already following her blog — she is indeed the essence of sunshine.

I don’t usually do these awards, maybe I don’t feel worthy https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2018/06/29/we-are-not-worthy-nor-grand/ , maybe I don’t like doing the questions, or maybe I don’t have enough time. Anyhow I’m doing this one for Dancia.

What is The Sunshine Blogger Award?

The Sunshine Blogger Award recognizes bloggers who inspire positivity and joy.

What are the rules for The Sunshine Blogger Award?

Thank the blogger who nominated you for the award and link to their blog.
List the rules and include The Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post.
Answer the 11 Questions asked of you.
Write a new list of 11 Questions for your Nominees.
Nominate 11 bloggers for The Sunshine Blogger Award.

11 Questions Asked of Me:

.What is happiness to you?

Home and love

What is one place you love visiting?

Ocean Grove surf beach, sun, golden sand and surf, that’s perfection.

What is your favorite comfort food?

An egg & bacon roll at my Football Club on game days, with a few beers !!

What is the best advice about life you’ve received?

Probably best explained in this little poem of mine, “I Do Thee Shine”
When I was little and young. “Your heart will always shine” Said Mum. When I grew up, a know-all teenager. Head strong, and an all-night rager. “Your love of life will shine through” Said Dad. Later on I married, so happy and glad. Suddenly, one spring, MS touched her bad. The shining dulled and time turned sad. Dad said, “Your heart shone through”. And Mum said, “Her Star will always shine on you”. My Star, my Dad and Mum, you are my spine. For you, I do thee shine. What is your favorite song at the moment?

I’ve hundreds of fav’s, mainly by, Leonard Cohen, but the one I’m playing at the moment, is by Nick Cave, “To Be By Your Side”

What have you been wanting to do and haven’t yet?

Travel, especially to America and Philadelphia.

What would you teach a class or person tomorrow, if you had to?

To be kind and have compassion

What did you dream of as a child?

To grow up to bo as good as my dad

What habit would you like to quit?

I’d like to stop crying as much as I do, “How many rivers of tears must we cry, before all the deepest wells run dry”

Where do you get your blogging inspiration?

Most of my poems emanate from my dreams

What is one interesting or weird thing about you that most people don’t know?

Since my stroke, as I’m aging, tiredness sometimes overwhelms me, and then I suffer anxiety and have panic attack because I’m feeling inadequate.

If anyone would like to participate and answer the above questions, please do, and as I feel I might be imposing on my fellow bloggers, I won’t be nominating anyone.

***
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who follows, comments, likes or quietly tours my blog.
I truly appreciate every one of you.

The Day After

I remember Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane, and I used to play this song over and over, the lyrics did so represented our time back then.

A Baby Book, The Four Of Us

Weekly Prompts– Photo Challenge – Timeworn I’ve found this baby book of my dad’s. The book is nearly 70 years old, given to my parents by my grandmother, my mothers mom, to celebrate the birth of my older brother, Danny

Above, bottom right, my parents with Danny. 1949.

Above, my dad’s log of Danny’s first 4 weeks.

Above, in the left frame, my grandmother, Elizabeth, with Danny, and on the right, my mom, Esther, with Danny.

Then came Ivor and my little brother, Lawrence.

And finally mom had a daughter that she always wanted, Myfanwy Glenys, and interestingly dad also logged the birth of Myfanwy’s daughter April.

Oh… This is a later attachment, have been feeling quite nostalgic since I posted this article, and I’m adding this lovely song, I hope you enjoy.

Let Us Not Be Silent

Let us not turn a blind eye

Clear the dark clouds from our sky

Extract our heads from the sand

Join our national brass band

Blow loudly on your trumpets

Let us stop being pawns and puppets

We’re not the sheep of their lands

We can be the blanket for our lambs

A collective sheet, protective and grand

Let us not be silent and bland

Clear the stage, make a stand

The worlds suffering children need us

Before they’re herded onto the bus

Like lambs to the slaughter

Imagine, our sons and daughters

Laying on concrete, alone and caged

Crying, weeping, could it be our ice-age

We’re distraught and outraged

Compassion, love, is paramount on centre-stage

Quote #2, “Together We Can Help”

“Fellow Writers, We Have The Power, We Have A Voice, We Have A Pen, Collectively, We’re Able To Help, Help The Children Of The World, Stop Them Crying For Help.”

Together We Can Help

Let us all help

It’s Time

Time to have a say

Voice your feelings

Tell your stories

Use your pen

Speak from your soul

Talk about their little feet

Feel their mammas heartbeat

Give your all

Walk tall

We need to help

Children is my prompt

Lets do the stomp

It’s your call

One and all

Don’t let the children crawl

Save them before they fall

When Do They Play

For all the wrongfully incarcerated children around the world, what sort of humans have we become to allow such heart-wrenching home-wreaking, that will undoubtably cause permanent damage to the innocent children. “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treat its children.” – Nelson Mandela.

When Do They Play

Our emotions are boiling on high

Lowly governments are hiding like spies

When do the children play

Where do their Moms and Dads stay

Why should we have to pray

This is not our humane way

Promised tomorrows should be theirs today

Please, when do the children play