Category: Anti-war

Gulls Over Dover

Featured Image Above: A bleak sky, fleeing wings, and a world on edge—echoed in the voice of “Iron Sky.”


A thank you to Derrick for inspiring the theme of this poem, even though I didn’t use his photo this time. His article nudged me to write.
>> Confusion About The Month – derrickjknight



Gulls Over Dover

The sky turns a hessian dull
as our silly world spins towards
another war zone cull.

The frightened gulls
of Dover flee north to Hull,
too wary of looking backwards,
haunted by humanity’s disparities







Ivor Steven ©  March 2026

No More Alibis


A whispered protest beneath a heavy sky—this poem emerged over coffee and quiet defiance.


No More Alibis



I shyly worry, and quietly sigh
about today’s ugly, dark sky.
In the blink of an eye,
the sun might say, “Hi”
and the world awry,
could be rectified.

No more alibis,
or black eyes.

It’s time to notify
the blow-dried wise guy:
The world is not his money supply

We will not be tongue-tied,
nor listen to his falsified
“War cry.”







Ivor Steven ©  January 2026

Ding Dong

Featured Image Above: Created by Copilot and me.


A bell without a gong. A dove without a sky. A poem for uneasy times, paired with Leonard Cohen’s “Anthem.”



Ding Dong


Wondering –
Who’s right and what’s wrong?
Pondering –
Who’s weak and what’s strong?
Unearthing
Another Viet Cong,
Hearing the same old song.

Listening –
The peace bell has no gong.
Foreboding –
Where has the holy dove gone?

Wishing,
Hoping –
Forever too long.








Ivor Steven  ©  January 2026

Throwback Friday, Are All the Doors Closed?

“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.”
— John Lennon


“When doors close, and wars roar, let peace be the key we choose to turn.”

Today’s Throwback Friday poem (originally written in March 2024) is drawn from my upcoming book, Time Hears No Sound. It appears as the third poem in Chapter 8, War: A Waste of Time


Are All the Doors Closed?

Scores of uncultured doors
Closed pores of the old stores
Hiding drawers of past accords
The forgotten ardours of wise mentors

Now, just condescending decors
to the new wars
Like cantankerous dinosaurs
with itchy bedsores









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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 … and I can send you a PayPal account,
for the Book, plus Postage.


Ivor Steven ©  December 2025

“Restore Rapport”, is in this week’s Coffee House Writers Magazine edition.

Featured Image Above: Black-and-white photo of a street art mural depicting a tug-of-war between a Russian and Ukrainian soldier on a war memorial in Izyum, Ukraine. (Getty Images photo)




Hello, dear readers and followers. I write for Coffee House Writers magazine (USA) fortnightly, and my poem “Restore Rapport” is in this week’s edition.
Written in the quiet hours of early morning, Restore Rapport is a poetic protest against the machinery of war and the silence that surrounds it. Inspired by the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, this piece asks: Where is the understanding? What are innocent lives being sacrificed for?


“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” — Einstein

To read the poem, please click the link below to visit my Coffee House Writers Magazine article.
>> https://coffeehousewriters.com/restore-rapport/








.


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 … and I can send you a PayPal account,
for the Book, plus Postage.


Ivor Steven ©  November 2025

River of Dreams

Dear friends and fellow poetry lovers,

As midnight continues to be my muse, I wanted to share that my blogging rhythm will be slowing for a few weeks. I’m currently immersed in shaping my fourth poetry manuscript, Time Hears No Sound—a project close to my heart.

During this time, my posts may be fewer and more sporadic, but rest assured, I’m still listening, dreaming, and crafting behind the scenes. Thank you for your continued support, patience, and presence. I look forward to returning with new verses and reflections once this chapter is complete.

Warmly, Ivor


“A quiet reflection on wisdom, war, and the river’s patient memory—where even crows seem to carry questions.”


River of Dreams

I’ve been listening to the crows-
the smart ones, who should know.

Now I’m watching the ancient river flow
around the land’s long, sandy bend.

Do they know where, and when
the current’s undertow
comes to a becalmed end?







Ivor Steven (c) October 2025

After the Fall




After the Fall


After falling through the fragmented cloud,
the rusty and weary traveller
appeared to be disoriented,
without his familiar protective shroud.
Escaping his country has been hazardous,
and he longs for a restful shelter.

However, until the stampede’s contaminated dust
is devoured by its own mistrust-

then, and only then,
will the Almighty Sun
incinerate the lingering clouds
and allow the world’s war-torn sky
to redeem his sacred ground.