“Beliefs are what divide people. Doubt unites them.” ~ Peter Ustinov
In a World of Doubt
To the left of where I sit,
I see a bright red strip
flash across the night sky.
In disbelief, I rub my weary eyes.
I do not panic, or feel fear,
as my vision slowly becomes clear.
I perceive my angel’s lake of tears
has entered my atmosphere.
Awakened, I valiantly swim out,
and try to save my world of doubt.
Ivor Steven (c) October 2025
Right to Rise (a Haiku)
We all have the right
To fly under the sun’s light
Beyond their gunsights
Ivor Steven (c) October 2025
“May the wind always be at your back and the sun upon your face, and the winds of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars.” ~ George Jung
Wind and Light
I cannot perceive the speed of light,
but I can feel its energy –
gently touch my skin.
I cannot see today’s cold gusts,
but I can hear nature’s wind —
boldly sting my eyes.
Between light and wind,
I know who is the fastest.
But I wonder: who is the strongest?
.
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 © October 2025
Acrux rises over the opal sea—its light, my inheritance.
In the hush of night, beneath the Southern Cross, I find myself wondering how far starlight travels—and why it feels so familiar. This poem is a reflection on cosmic legacy, distance, and the quiet claim we make on eternity.
Celestial Birthright
Tonight,
there above the horizon’s
dark blue oceans,
deep in the black opal sky,
I see the bright Acrux Star.
Then I wonder: how far away
is a million light-years from today?
And why is the star’s infinite light
eternally my birthright.
Music/Video: The final 3 minutes of “Sea of Stars” – 10-hour, ambient space music
Ivor Steven © October 2025
Please Note the featured photo and attached photos above are taken from Street Art in the Geelong CBD
A Blade of Light
Far beyond my darkest night
Clambering out of purgatory’s deepest void
I grasp onto a single blade of light
On the edge of my soulless asteroid
Who rescues me from Armageddon’s endless fight
Awaking in a pool of sweat, just after midnight
This meaningless nightmare gave me a hellish fright
.
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 (c) February 2025
Definitions:
quintessence:
noun: the most typical example or representative of a type
noun: the purest and most concentrated essence of something
noun: the fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies
florescent; flowering; bursting into flower
iridescent; the visual property of something having a milky brightness
pearlescent; resembling a pearl; having a pearly lustre or sheen
opalescent; colourless or white like an opal, or changing colour like an opal.
candescent; glowing or starting to glow with heat
evanescent; gradually disappears from sight or memory.
Senescent; characteristic of old age
Quintessence
Above my florescent sunflowers
Twilight’s iridescent sky
Of a pearlescent sunset
And an opalescent moonrise
Animated my candescent world
And the evanescent wave of light
Revived my senescent eyes
.
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 (c) January 2025Posted
Today, I received an early Christmas present: my copy of the amazing “Sunflower Tanka,” an Anthology of Tanka, Tanka Prose, and Experimental Tanka, superbly compiled by Robbie Cheadle and Colleen M. Chesebro, Contributing Editors.
>> https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/
>> https://colleenchesebro.org/
The attached scans below are my “5” Tanka, which incorporate the theme “Into The Light” and were selected by the editors.
Amazon.com LINK
Amazon.UK.com LINK
Amazon.Australia. Amazon.com.au : Sunflower Tanka: An Anthology of Tanka, Tanka Prose, & Experimental Tanka
Ivor Steven (c) December 2024
Finding Her Universe
(a Double Tanka)
In the direction
Of heading home, I found North
Then veered to the East
Looking for the setting Sun
There, I told the Horizon
“I have lost my way
flying through your golden day”
“You’re not lost, my friend,
fly toward my brightest point
and her universe is yours”
Until Eyes Hear Sound: is NOW Available From,
Lulu Books: https://www.lulu.com/shop/ivor-steven/until-eyes-hear-sound/paperback/product-jeev886.html?page=1&pageSize=4
Jaymah Press: https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/product-page/until-eyes-hear-sound
Tullawalla is Available From
Jaymah Press:https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
Ivor Steven: email, ivorrs20@gmail.com
Amazon: search via, ‘Tullawalla by Ivor Steven’
AND
Perceptions is Now Available via:
Amazon: https://amzn.asia/d/4yFHWrT
Jaymah Press: https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
OR: email me directly for a signed copy – ivorrs20@gmail.com
Ivor Steven (c) May 2024
On the horizon
A blaze of brightness performed
Under the dark clouds
Projecting waves of crimson
Across Twilight’s silver screen
Until Eyes Hear Sound
Not available on Lulu or Amazon yet … but you may purchase it from me, via this web page or my email >> ivorrs20@gmail.com
Tullawalla is Available From
Jaymah Press:https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
Ivor Steven: email, ivorrs20@gmail.com
Amazon: search via, ‘Tullawalla by Ivor Steven’
AND
Perceptions is Now Available via:
Amazon: https://amzn.asia/d/4yFHWrT
Jaymah Press: https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
OR: email me directly for a signed copy – ivorrs20@gmail.com
Ivor Steven (c) March 2024
I am extremely proud and humbled by the acceptance of five of my poems by the amazing Susi Bocks, Editor-in-Chief at The Short of It! “Hot off the Press” and released for publication today!
New Light
Cascading sunshine
Falls into my cloudy eyes
Cold ponds feel new light
Further Down
From the Pandemic’s
Depressing downs
Into my Covid
Dressing gown
Finality
after we have consumed
the leftover wine
and desecrated the sundial’s shadow
the dark side of the moon
will finally recede from view
Co-existence
Beneath the trees and bushes
Lives an underground network
Prospering on giving and receiving
Our Time
Time waits for no one
Everyone passes in time
Time hears no commands
~~~
Ivor Steven, formerly an Industrial Chemist and then a Plumber, is now retired; he has been published in numerous anthologies and online magazines. He has two self-published books, Tullawalla and Perceptions. Ivor is an active member of the Geelong Writers Inc.(Australia) and an appointed writer for Coffee House Writers magazine (USA). He was first featured in 2022 and was nominated for the 2022 Pushcart Prize for his piece – The Sum is One. You can read his features and reblog by clicking HERE.
If you’d like to be featured on The Short of It in the future,
click here for the submission guidelines.
Ivor Steven (c) March 8th 2024
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 