Frankie – Ivor.Plumber/Poet

Winter Sunshine

This afternoon I found myself at the calm centre of things — winter draped itself lightly over the café, letting the sunshine linger just long enough for a quiet moment to unfold.

Winter Sunshine

I’m on the axis of my universe,
here in the middle of our cafe,
at the centre of this old town —
it’s our time to relax and calm down.

We’re midway beneath winter’s hemline;
the wind is cold, but the day is fine.
The larks are enjoying the sunshine,
and I’m sipping a glass of red wine.

As the winter light faded and the sunshine slipped away, the music left its own warm shadow behind.

Ivor Steven © August 2026

When I Am Old

A small conversation with age itself — seventy‑five years in my bones now, and Frankie turning ten beside me, both of us learning how to age with a bit of grace and a bit of mischief, reminding us that growing old is just another way of staying present.

When I Am Old

If,
I was young
back in nineteen-sixty-one –
no,
when I am young again,
without these strokes of pain
down the other side of my brain

I will remember
that day in November
when Mum said,
(with a cheeky grin),
“Never marry a redhead.”
Then Dad (who was a redhead)
smiled and wisely told me
“There’s always more fish in the sea,
but be careful what you wish for
beyond your front door.”

As I became a young man,
I asked for a redhead’s hand.
Alas, beyond the garden’s flowers,
life is both sweet and sour.

Thereupon, my dear parents
elected to be our loving warrants
and held our hands
above
life’s deepening quicksand.

A piece of music for the quieter hours — for the moments when age speaks softly and reminds us how to stay present.

Ivor Steven © July 2026

An Interesting Flower

One small flower caught my eye on our walk, and of course Frankie had to follow me in — just to make sure I wasn’t finding something better than him.

An Interesting Flower

We were meandering back
along our beaten walking track
when like an undercover spy
I saw a flower with my inquisitive eye
As I ventured into the shrubbery
there, right behind me, was Frankie
“What’s Dad found in there –
is it something tasty for me?”

Well Frankie, I’ve since discovered,
the flower was an African Iris,
they are drought-resistant and like
those sandy banks near our track.

Frankie approved the flower — and he definitely approves this track to finish the walk.

Ivor Steven © July 2026

Dog Talk

Frankie and I stopped outside The Book Bird today, and the look he gave me was enough to spark a whole conversation.

I think Frankie can read the billboard and my mind

Dog Talk

No, Frankie —
I’m not travelling anywhere soon,
so there’s no need for that doggie scowl.

You know I like to stop here,
to take a photo of the Book Bird sign
and you, my handsome old doggie.

Although… I would really love
to visit my dear cousins again
in Philadelphia and Canada.

Tonight’s music — Enya’s “Anywhere Is” — wanders gently, just like the thoughts in this poem, and carries my quiet longing a little further.

Ivor Steven © June 2026

Our Cafe to the Rescue (a Haiku)

Featured Image Above: Recouping composure, one café moment at a time.

Frankie and I, settling into the calm, captured in little snapshots from our café breather.

Our Cafe to the Rescue (a Haiku)

It’s time to relax
And recoup our composure
A place without hooks

Ivor Steven © February 2026

Frankie’s Late Summer Groom

Frankie enjoys being groomed.

Ivor Steven © February 2026

Throwback Friday, My Mind Meanders (a Tanka)

Today’s Throwback Friday poem (originally written in August 2023) is drawn from my upcoming book, Time Hears No Sound. It appears as the first poem in the Tanka section of Chapter 10, Time’s Short Poems: Haiku, Tanka, etc.

I’ve done lots of meandering today, and now I need to have a doggie nap

My Mind Meanders (a Tanka)

On our morning trail
Where beginnings never end
Imagination
Meanders around each bend
Conscious of nature’s haven

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 © February 2026

The Poet’s Lucky Envelope Humdrum

While waiting for my CHW article to appear last night, I found myself knee‑deep in “lucky envelopes” for the book‑stall dip — a poet’s version of factory work, complete with midnight muttering and a very patient supervisor. Somewhere between the folding and the stacking, this little whimsy arrived.

The Poet’s Lucky Envelope Humdrum

A poem a day is my way;
print five copies of each without delay.
Do not overflow the out tray –
place the copies in relay,
the next five crossways …
and so on – it’s child’s play.

Fold each foolscap page in half,
then fold again, into quarters.
Any fool can do it!
Open an envelope,
shove in the folded page
(No need for that frustrated rage).
Start a row of five;
put the next five on top …
and so on – it’s child’s play
’til midnight ends the day.

And for the soundtrack to this late‑night humdrum, here’s Leonard Cohen and U2 with Tower of Song — a perfect companion for a poet quietly working under the watchful eye of Frankie.

Ivor Steven © February 2026

Christmas Eve, Frankie Goes To Ballarat

The day before Christmas, and as usual, we are traveling to Ballarat for the week to enjoy the festive season with our brother and sister. My brother kindly drove down from Ballarat to pick us up.