The Forest, a Fantasy Land

The Little Cloud Studio window display at the Creative Geelong Makers Hub stirred a memory of Emily Dickinson’s quiet devotion to nature — this piece is my own small letter back to the world, written from a forest of imagination.

“This is my letter to the World
That never wrote to Me —
The simple News that Nature told —
With tender Majesty, Her Message is committed
To Hands I cannot see —
For love of Her — Sweet — countrymen —
Judge tenderly — of Me.”

Emily Dickinson






The Forest, a Fantasy Land



Come join me in the forest’s fantasy land;
I know of a picture-perfect place
where the dappled sunlight
silently filters through the trees.

There’s a picnic table built for two.
I’ll bring a food hamper
and Emily Dickerson’s
magical book of poems.

Within the bower’s peace and quiet,
if you listen closely, nature’s gentle breeze
softly rustles through the ferns and leaves;
and then you’ll hear the green toadstools
from the forest floor’s mossy logs
humming a familiar tune.





Today’s music drifts from the heart of the forest — Enya’s “The Memory of the Trees.”




Ivor Steven  ©  June 2026

Monday, June 1st 2026

After weeks of mild, forgiving autumn days, winter arrived this morning without ceremony — a cool breath through the trees, a dimming of the sun, and the first hint of rain settling over the café windows.


So there we were, winter at our shoulders and coffee in hand, watching the day change

And for Sadje’s,
What do you see # 343- June 1, 2026
>> What do you see # 343- June 1, 2026 – Keep it alive






Monday, June 1st 2026


It’s the first day of winter.
Our weather-weary sun
is diminishing and hiding
behind our shady evergreen trees
and the dark, rainy clouds.

We’re cold, but safely sheltering
at the cosy Box Office Cafe
and enjoying our coffee and treats.
Frankie is snuggling up beside me,
and despite the damp atmosphere,
my trusty old pencil still works,
no matter what the prevailing conditions.





A low ember of winter, still burning somewhere inside.




Ivor Steven  ©  June 2026

Between the Moon and Clouds

Twilight gathered around me, the moon above and the land below — and this mural, a reminder of the ancient, living connection our First Nations people hold with Country.





Between the Moon
and Clouds

They say the world is changing,
but the moon cannot stop frowning,
while nature is unerringly hurting,
beneath our fettered feet.

Between the worried moon
and the settling clouds,
I perceive a loud rumbling sigh
from beyond the deep blue sky.

In one ferocious breath, Thor decries,
“Beware of the ground’s ringleader’s lies
about the Earth’s visible demise,
and hear the crust’s cries
with your own eyes.”



In the silence between day and night, the sky held its breath, and I paused on earth’s shimmering crust, letting the music rise where words could not.





Ivor Steven  ©  June 2026

Throwback Friday, Bird on a Ladder

In keeping with this week’s ‘Bird’ theme, today’s Throwback Friday poem (originally written in May 2023) is drawn from my third book, Until Eyes Hear Sound. It appears as a poem in Chapter 1: Little Creatures and the Birds





Bird on a Ladder


  
I am a blackbird on a circus ladder 
Singing about how the world is feeling sadder 
Or should I sing, “becoming madder” 

Here on the last rung, I stand 
Below, I see a treeless land 
Above, I hear a breathless sky 
After the show, I untangle my necktie 
And I ask you why 
“Does it matter, when I leap, what route do I fly?”  





“Let the music spin the world’s madness into something we can still sing about




.


Until Eyes Hear Sound

Amazon >> Amazon.com : 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 ©  May 2026

Dependable

In the hush between treetops, sky, and the distant sun, small moments of flight remind us how quietly the world keeps holding on





Dependable

From the resilient treetops,
the curious crows know
the honourable sun never stops —
rain, sleet, or snow.

Warming our souls
from light-years away,
yet far outreaching
our ordinary day.

And beyond the crows’
resourceful thinking,
where the sky’s mystical banjos
are perpetually playing






And somewhere beneath all this light and shadow, we keep finding the strength to rise again.




Ivor Steven  ©  May 2026

My Bird Photos (a Haiku)

Walking home in the late afternoon beneath a low blanket of cloud, I found the light dull and the sky muted. Even so, I managed to capture these birds in flight. The dim conditions left my original photos a little blurry, but with the help of my Copilot app, I was able to gently sharpen them and bring their motion back to life.






My Bird Photos (a Haiku)


Birds do not need words
Artistically superb
They’re the sky’s Rembrandts






“A song to drift with, wings open to the sky — an echo of freedom to follow the final image





Ivor Steven  ©  May 2026

Coffee House Writers Magazine features my new poem, “I’m Quietly Flying Around.”


Hello, dear readers and followers. I contribute to Coffee House Writers magazine (USA) every second week, and I’m delighted to share that my latest poem, “I’m Quietly Flying Around,” appears in the new issue. You can read it by following the link below.
>> I’m Quietly Flying Around – Coffee House Writers


There’s a peacefulness in flying alone for a while, until the friendly and noisy Corellas swoop in to remind me I’m never truly by myself up there.



A small song to keep me company while I’m quietly flying around.




.


Until Eyes Hear Sound

Amazon >> Amazon.com : 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 ©  May 2026

A Mid-Morning Fling

Today, a casual stroll on the path turned into an unexpected glimpse of tenderness, and all we can do is slow our steps and witness the quiet life unfolding at our feet





A Mid-Morning Fling

It was odd to see larks
Lying on the concrete path.
At first, I thought
One of them was injured.

Then, as I approached
For a closer gander,
The grounded bird
Was not wounded at all,
But pleasantly enjoying
Her partner’s advances.

And as I edged nearer,
My unexpected presence
Did disrupt their
Mid-morning fling.





A gentle reminder that even the smallest moments can shift the rhythm of a day — just as a song can shift the rhythm of a heart




Ivor Steven  ©  May 2026

How and Why

In the hush of a grey autumn morning, two birds wheel away into the distance, leaving behind a question only the sky can answer.





How and Why


Two silhouettes fluttering in the sky,
Together, the shadows swoop by.
Flying among Autumn’s silent clouds,
There above Humanity’s rowdy crowd.

They gaze down and wonder how
That lawless mob did somehow allow
Nature’s garden to become holier-than-thou.

The birds quietly turn and wave goodbye
And decide: theirs not to reason why.






As the birds wheel away from the how and why, step with the music into the space where the poem’s questions still linger.


Here are a few lyrics from “We Lost The Sea – A Quiet Place.”

“Abandon control, obey gravity
From here, earth’s claw cannot over bare

I hear nothing, dead silence
I grasp as comfort
I pilot limbs as if they were wings
Carve through the clouds
Plummet to the below
I pilot limbs”




Ivor Steven  ©  May 2026

Throwback Friday, Polar Bears and Cold Sheep

In keeping with this week’s ‘Environment’ theme, today’s Throwback Friday poem (originally written in July 2020) is drawn from my upcoming book, Time Hears No Sound. It appears as a poem in Chapter 2, Nature: An Unbiased Timekeeper





Polar Bears and Cold Sheep



hello world, do you see my frown?
will the blizzards ever calm down?
will the rains forever fall on broken ground?
will our tears of silence be the only sound?

the frozen wounds are deep
the mountains of snow are steep
humans need to stop being cold sheep
and begin taking their own individual leaps

the rewards of being caring and kind
far outweigh the coldness of being left behind





For the wounds we’ve carved into the earth, may this music echo the quiet truth our planet keeps trying to tell us.





Ivor Steven  ©  May 2026