creativity – Ivor.Plumber/Poet

Throwback Friday, I Feel The Sky

Today’s Throwback Friday poem is from October 2021. The poem also appears in my third book, Until Eyes Hear Sound, Chapter 8, Poetry in Slow Motion.

I Feel the Sky

I am creating a verse from beyond my cage
Here, surrounded by the essence of a new age
Spring blossom floating on a sea of loose pages
Soaring on the wings of yesterday’s paper darts

I was finding words in unusual places
On dirty microwave plates
Under shaggy-pile carpets
Between last night’s lonely sheets
And walking down empty streets

Inside the Box Office Cafe, I sit
Observing the world below my feet
An old wooden floor of weathered planks
And table bases made from engine cranks

On the open verandah I can feel the sky
And I write on these blank lines
About today’s invisible freedom, before my ink runs dry

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 © July 2025

An Inside Job

At Creative Geelong Makers Hub on Saturday, there was a rare opportunity when all the artists’ shops and studios were open on the same day.

Inside the MAY’D Shop.

The House, a community artistic centre and creative workshop.

The Hot House, the Hair Stylist’s Salon, and his Art Studio.

The Collectables Shop.

Vicky, who specializes in doggie portraits.

Joanne’s, Eco Artland, and Isobel and Sue’s Art Studios.

Wishart Creative and Untether Gallery

An Inside Job

I’m on the inside, looking out
North or south means nout
In here, there are no louts
Nor any sign of the drought

I’m doing a native walkabout
From shop to shop, lights on, or out
There is nothing to doubt or flout
Pins and needles, nails and clouts
Paint brushes and ceramic grout
Statues and clay waterspouts
Colourful cards and canvases throughout
A hairstylist, who paints during his timeout

I’m on a wondrous whirlabout
Trekking the Makers Hub route
Like a curious Boy Scout

Ivor Steven (c) June 2025

A Poet and a Handyman

A Poet and a Handyman

Today I completed making two book display easels
for my upcoming market bookstalls
There happened to be some discarded timber
lying on the ground at the building site next door.
The tradesmen had finished the job a month ago
and these sturdy slats of wood had been left behind.

“Waste not want not”
“One man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure”
“Opportunity knocks”
“Fortune favours the brave”

My handyman’s mind clicked into gear
and I drafted a rough sketch of my project
I knew the size of the books I wanted to exhibit
and I had all the appropriate tools in my shed

Remembering my dad’s trusted catchphrase
“Measure twice, cut once” (and with my music playing)
My creation, (and a few trial and error mistakes)
gradually began to take shape.

Of course, there is nothing like a good coat of paint
to cover up the defects and give my masterpiece
that final seal of opaque professionalism!