Category: Life/lifestyle

Creative Geelong Market Day, This Saturday, June 21st

It’s Market Day this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.!
* Our popular monthly markets are all undercover at Centrepoint Arcade on the third Saturday of every month.
* They feature art, unique goods from local makers, second-hand goods, plants, books, and more.
* There are also open art studios, Yesterday Vintage, Untether Gallery, HBT Collectables, and the May’d Shop. 

All at, Centrepoint Arcade
132 Little Malop St, Geelong
From 11 am to 3 pm

And I’ll be there with my “New Bookstall Set-up”






Ivor Steven (c) June 2025

Malcolm the Mouse


Malcolm, looking sad and slowly fading away. This morning’s replacement mouse




Malcolm the Mouse



Some sad news
Late last night
My mouse died

He’s not been well
This past month
His right side was fading away
And then his left side started failing too
“His lights were on
but nobody was home”

I rang my younger brother
“What should I do, mate?”
He said, “How old was he?”
“I think he was 13 years old”
“Oh well, his time was due,
you’ll have to put him down
and throw him in the bin”

“Ok, it’s been difficult
trying to use my computer
without Malcolm”

Luckily, this morning
After rummaging through the shed
I found another mouse
An old USB plug-in one







.


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 © June 2025

No Anchor, No Breaks, No Parachute!


In response to Sadje’s, WDYS # 291
>> https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2025/06/02/what-do-you-see-291-2june-2025/
I chose her second image, “a shot of a full moon, and in front of the moon, you can see a plane traveling!“




No Anchor, No Breaks, No Parachute!

“Hit the ground running,” they say
Well, I hit Monday
Without a ripcord
On my parachute
It mysteriously disappeared
Out of touch, out of sight
I think I left my ‘safety chute’
At the Market on Saturday

I’m only half finished
My new project,
Shangri La, Volume 14
“We desperately need
a coffee break”, I said to Frankie
So, down to the ‘Cafe’ we went!

This old poet had to relax
And slow down the adrenaline flow
“What goes up, must come down.”

Hopefully, when I crush tonight,
The landing will be a smooth one





Ivor Steven (c) June 2025

Nature’s Seeds

In response to Eugi’s Moonlighted Musings Prompt
>> https://amanpan.com/2025/05/27/moonwashed-weekly-prompt-may-27-2025/

a simple flower
summons smiles
calming of the day

Let one or more words in my poem be your inspiration.
Prompt contributions can be any variation of the prompt and/or image.


 Today’s short verse was originally written as a poetic comment to Sadje’s lovely poem >>  When leaves become words – Keep it alive 





Nature’s Seeds


May the world’s greed turn into earthly seeds 
Nature’s flower seeds, wheat seeds, and tree seeds 
And proceed to feed all those in need






Ivor Steven (c) May 2027

Rainbow Over Pako


Ivor and Frankie at the Box Office Cafe




Rainbow Over Pako

After the dawn’s cold frost
Our morning walk was cool and crisp
But the autumn sun was shining
And we decided to head down to Pakington St
Affectionally known as “Pako”
A charming street with small rustic shops
And abundant alfresco-style cafes
We always go to our favourite venue
The ‘doggie friendly’ Box Office Cafe






Ivor Steven (c) May 2025

Hit and Run


Over at Weekly Prompts, the Weekend Challenge is the word Cavalier. To visit their fabulous site, please click on >> Here



Hit and Run


Reluctantly, there I was
Tidying “our” shared nature strip
Picking up the obnoxious rubbish
And placing it back
In “his” smelly garbage bin
Which had been knocked over
By the “neighbour’s” visitor

The culprit had fled the scene
The “cavalier neighbour” remained inside

Distur‘bin’ly,
This was a messy case
Of “Hit and Run”







.


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 © May 2025

Throwback Friday, I Did Not Hear The Midday Chime

Today’s Throwback Friday poem was written in October 2022.
Featured Image Above: Photo by Derick Knight, and I have used the photo once before in another poem (>> https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2021/12/01/time-watches-over-us/) . Again, thank you to Derrick for allowing me to use his photos on my site.>> https://derrickjknight.com/






I Did Not Hear The Midday Chime


I slyly lookup
In silent amusement
At the old chiseled face
Of my Grandfather clock
And I see his shaky hands of time
Are too bleak and meek
To strike the midday chime

I slowly close my eyes
Overused muscles are cramping
Weakened bones feel brittle
This complicated mind is tired
And my dream needs to sleep
Before I can write another rhyme







.


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 © March 2025

Awkwardness

Featured Image Above; Street art, Little Malop St, CBD, Geelong





Awkwardness

Within this world’s wilderness
Beyond my ongoing tiredness

I must confess 
My aging awkwardness 
It’s becoming more difficult to address 

Nonetheless 
Life’s progress 
It’s a challenging process 






Ivor Steven (c) March 2025

World Poetry Day, Friday 21st March


It’s not “World Poetry Day” until Friday 21st, but here in Geelong, the Geelong Library held a celebratory event tonight (Wed) … so appropriately, I thought I would repost a poem from my first book, Tullawalla, “Poetry in Motion”



Poetry in Motion

I was searching for words
Maybe the script’s lost in celluloid
I’ve a pile of empty poems
Frustratingly strewn
Here, there and everywhere
But I hear them whispering

“We’re not finished yet
Do not leave us for dead
Under this thick biblical heap
Please tend to your lost sheep”

The mound of poetry pages
Began chanting louder
And I was silently listening
To their distant preaching
But I’m not that proud
And I quickly lit the gunpowder







Ivor Steven (c) March 2025