Love – Ivor.Plumber/Poet

Throwback Friday, Whispering Flowers

It was “our” 50th Anniversary yesterday, the 10th of September. Whispering Flowers was written back in early 2019, during my recovery from two strokes — a time when every small journey felt tender and deliberate.
Today, the flowers have been delivered, and we’ve spent the afternoon in the sunshine, sharing an anniversary lunch at the café and a glass of red, letting the memories settle gently around us.

Whispering Flowers (Tullawalla, page 41)

Carole and I, 45 years ago, before her MS developed.

At the cemetery with flowers for Carole, and then to the Cafe for lunch and a toast to Carole.

Whispering Flowers (Revised)

I went shopping this morning,
To buy her flowers
For our anniversary day.

A bus trip to the local florist,
then I boarded another bus to the cemetery —
my first time on a bus carrying flowers.

Bouquet in hand, on I hopped,
You could’ve heard a pin drop.

Over the silence, I heard solemn whispers.
The men on the bus courteously nodded,
And the ladies knowingly smiled.

Gratified, I dipped my cap in acknowledgement.
Then I started to sense the day’s emotions arise,
and with my honesty glowing,
I felt proudly special.

And as Scarborough Fair drifts through the afternoon light, I carry her memory faithfully, where flowers and remembrance quietly meet.

Ivor Steven © September 11th 2026

I See You Now, Fifty Years, Today

Fifty years feels both distant and close, a milestone carried quietly through my days.
Some memories soften, some sharpen, but one truth remains — I still see her in the small moments, in the quiet spaces, in the light that lingers.
Today, I honour that presence the only way I know how: with a few simple lines.

I See You Now, Fifty Years, Today

A day I celebrate every day —
every day, walking my narrow path,
I see you now.
Every day, looking into our misty mirror,
I see you now.

Fifty years, today —
every night, in my dreams,
I see you now.
Every night, in the stars.
I see you now.

I am here,
you are where you are.
One day, my dear,
I’ll join you in the stars.

A song that echoes the way I still see her — in dreams, in stars, in the quiet of today.

Ivor Steven © September 10th 2026

Tomorrow’s Our 50th Anniversary (a Tanka)

Fifty years arrives like a soft, golden hush — a moment where memory steps forward, hand in hand with the present. As tomorrow’s anniversary draws near, I found myself looking toward the sky, letting its warm light guide me back through the years. This Tanka is the quiet breath before the day itself, a small reflection of the love still shimmering in every sunset.

Tomorrow’s Our 50th Anniversary (a Tanka)

Sunset’s pure-gold sky
And I’m inwardly smiling.
She’s flamboyantly
channeling me — a bright clue:
tomorrow’s our golden day.

And tomorrow, as the golden sky leans close, her light will rise through me once more.

Ivor Steven © September 2026

Willing (a Haiku)

G’day readers. It has been an emotional weekend — my mother’s birthday yesterday, my wife’s funeral day, and Mother’s Day today here in Australia. This haiku is a small tribute to the gracious and courageous women who shaped me, and to the strength their lives still give me as I move forward.

Willing (a Haiku)

Still willing to fly
Black sky and an arctic wind
Nothing holds me back

For the women who taught me to rise, even on the coldest of days.

Ivor Steven © May 2026

Throwback Friday, The Woman In Me

G’day readers. As this tender weekend approaches — my mother’s birthday tomorrow, my wife’s funeral day, and Mother’s Day on Sunday here in Australia — I’m returning to a poem from September 2019 for today’s Throwback Friday. It feels like the right one to hold all of that.

Me, sitting on Mum’s knee. … L to R, Carole, Aunties Elizabeth & Pearl, & Grandma

Grandma and her 3 daughters. … My mum (left) and her lady relatives

The Woman In Me

Inside every man
There is a woman

The mother of his soul
The lady of his heart
The kindness in his touch
The passion in his blood

The woman who fostered
The way he shows love

For all the women who shaped our hearts, let this melody bloom again.

Ivor Steven © May 2026

The Creamy Side of the Moon

Feature Image Above: was created by Copilot and me.

After a quiet visit and a long walk back to earth, these words arrived with the evening light.

And for Sadje’s: What do you see #339- 4th May, 2026. I chose this Photo
To visit her fabulous site, please click >> Here

The Creamy Side of the Moon

Here I stand with my wedding spoon
on the creamy side of the moon

I’ll be home sometime soon
Probably midafternoon

I’ve been visiting her crystal tomb
on the tawny side of the moon

Then, my friendly and sympathetic flock
will guide my spirit back

Later, after I’ve emptied my backpack
and downed a glass of cognac
Frankie will lead me back
along our earthly walking track

For the moments that linger between moonlight and the gathering birds, let this song carry you the rest of the way down to earth.

Ivor Steven © May 2026

Neapolitan Sky

The evening sky unfolded in soft Neapolitan colours, and with it came memories, tenderness, and the quiet echo of a vow once spoken.

Neapolitan Sky

Twilight’s sentimental pink sky
Triggered old memories behind my eyes

While the horizon’s creamy eiderdown
Composedly kept me calmly bound

Then dusk’s velvety edge
Reminded me of our pledge

From the moment our togetherness found its start
We whispered our promise — “’Til death do us part”

Life’s Missing Teacher

These four couplets unfold like stepping stones — small pauses across the quiet waters of loss. Each one holds a moment of recognition, a shift in understanding, a breath before the next step. Paired with Leonard Cohen’s “Teachers,” the poem traces the lessons we never received, and the ones we learn only by walking toward them

Life’s Missing Teacher

I never found a teacher,
who taught me how to grieve.

The unforeseen creature
was difficult to perceive.

After unplugging her extension cord,
time was always near.

While wandering toward
the edge of life’s weathered pier.

Today

Today arrived with a hush, stirring old memories and opening a space to sit with love and loss.

Today

Today,
the misty clouds are not moving,
and my world has stopped rotating.

Today,
time became becalmed
in a blue lagoon
full of my memories and rhymes

Today
I felt her angelic soul reminding me,
“Stay there for a while longer,
let me linger in your loving heartbeat.

I’ll let this song carry the feeling that lingers.

A Weary Old Plumber, I’m Thinking of You (Happy Birthday, Dad)

Alex Steven (Dad), February 5th 1924 – July 3rd 2015

A Weary Old Plumber, I’m Thinking of You
(Happy Birthday, Dad)

One hundred and two years ago
When dark became day
And the sun shone on you
Did the gods of the world know
How lucky they were
That your sphere of love
Was all-encompassing