“Haiku for Soulmates” is now Available on Amazon

Dear Readers and Fellow Contributors, 

I’m delighted to share that Haiku for Soulmates has made a stunning debut — reaching #1 Amazon Bestseller in the US, Japan, and the UK. What an extraordinary achievement for everyone involved.

Gabriela Marie Milton, our editor, offers these beautiful words from her heart:

Gadriela: (the Editor) A few words from her heart:  

“Haiku for Soulmates is a breathtaking collision of ancient tradition and the boundless, relentless auroras of the modern spirit.
Today, the world becomes a little smaller and infinitely more beautiful. As an editor and publisher, my heart overflows; witnessing this vision transition from a dream into a living, breathing masterpiece is a profoundly emotional moment. This is not just an anthology—it is a global sanctuary, a cinematic tapestry woven from the heartbeats of 200 extraordinary contributors.
From the sacred silence of its Japanese birthplace to the vibrant, shimmering horizons of voices spanning the globe, these pages hum with a rare, vertical excellence. We have captured the lightning of human connection and pressed it into ink.
To my brilliant contributors: you are the light that makes this aurora possible. To the world: I invite you to step into this gallery of the soul and lose yourself in the brilliance of the brief, the bold, and the transcendent.”

The journey begins now. Explore the anthology at the link below.

Link: https://us.amazon.com/Haiku-Soulmates-Literary-Revelations-ebook/dp/B0H161X18Q/ 

Learn more about Literary Revelations Publishing House >> Literary Revelations – Independent Publisher of Poetry and Prose

The Haiku below are my 5 contributions to the anthology.

Five Haiku

1

Between hugging arms
From my elbows to your toes
An embrace we trust

2

Home is on my mind
Home is nearby, and afar
Home’s her distant star

3

Cloudless summer days
Sunlight kissing everything
I felt you with me

4

Our dreams connected
Across turbulent oceans
Waters of love found

5

Soft winter sunshine
Her sky’s raining blue diamonds
Warms my fragile heart






For every heartbeat woven into this anthology, here is a song for the souls who found each other across distance, silence, and light.





Ivor Steven  ©  May 2026

Throwback Friday, We Are Sour, But We Have the Power


Today’s Throwback Friday poem, “We Are Sour, But We Have the Power”, was written in June 2020 … It was a beautiful spring day today. Appropriately the attached Dragonfly images were taken during my nature walk this morning.



We Are Sour, But We Have the Power (Revised)

Out of the blue ocean, into the black sea
We continue to be wet behind our ears
And we are still burning bridges made out of coloured trees
Repeating the same old stories, from behind our shields and spears

What about looking at nature’s dragonflies and bees?
How do they live in harmony without fear and tears?
We are the carriers of humanity’s corrupt disease
Ignoring the world’s racist problems for too many years










All Books. Now Available At:

Creative Geelong MAY’D Shop,
Shop 15/Centrepoint Arcade
132 Little Malop St, Geelong
TRADING HOURS
Thursday-Saturday
11am-3pm



Until Eyes Hear Sound

Lulu Books >>  Until Eyes Hear Sound (lulu.com)



Perceptions:

Amazon >>  Perceptions : Steven, Ivor, Knight, Derrick: Amazon.com.au: Books
Lulu Books >>  Perceptions (lulu.com)




Tullawalla:

Amazon >> Tullawalla A Meeting Place Where My Empty Hands are Full of Memories and Rhymes : Steven, Ivor: Amazon.com.au: Books



OR: >> You may email me directly for a signed copy at
ivorrs20@gmail.com





Ivor Steven (c) October 2024

Oh, No!

Oh, No! … Here in Australia, yesterday’s referendum, to give our First Nation’s people a ‘Voice’ in parliament was rejected … I think it’s a sad outcome for Australia, and I am feeling the hurt that my Aboriginal friends are experiencing today.


Oh, No!


Why cannot I be right?

Why is my right so wrong?

Why are the wrongs so strong?

How has racism become right?


Why does our blight?

Remain deaf dumb and blind!

Without any foresight!






Ivor Steven (c) October 2023

A Wounded Identity Badge

Over at Weekly Prompts, the Wednesday Challenge is the word: Identity … To visit their fabulous site, please click on >> Here … My poem below is an appropriate and poignant response to the Prompt


A Wounded Identity Badge 


I am lying here on brown dirt 

My human blood is trickling

From a new open-cut wound

Into this ancient and sacred ground 


I have been shot!

Straight through my “Yes” vote badge 

By a white man’s racist outburst 

His rant was full of arrogance and hatred 


My badge is damaged but not destroyed 

My heart is bruised but not broken 

I will steadfastly, forever vote “Yes” 

Until eyes hear the sound of human decency   






Ivor Steven (c) October 2023