Hello dear readers and followers, as you may know, I now write for “Coffee House Writers” magazine on a fortnightly basis, and my poem“My River Flows”, is in this weeks edition of Coffee House Writers Magazine. … please click on the link below to read my poem, at Coffee House Writers >> https://coffeehousewriters.com/my-river-flows/
Ivor Steven (c) May 3rd 2022
Hello dear readers and followers … Despite April & May being personally special remembrance times for me this year, I am pleased to announce that I have managed to produce my “Twenty Eigth Tullawalla” Booklet … For new readers that don’t know about these booklets, they are basically the reason why I write poetry. I produce these ‘home-printed’ booklets for the sole purpose of raising funds for my favourite charity organisation, the MS Society, in Australia via the MS Charity Shop here in Geelong. And actually all money’s I receive for any of my poetry .via, submissions, I donate to the MS Society…. I’m proud to announce, that the sale of my “Tullawalla Booklets”, have now gone pass $1500.00, … to all the lovely readers, who have donated, to help achieve such a wonderful amount, a big heartfelt thank you, from “us” and the MS Society … …..Incredibly, there is now a total of “1205 poems”, Yep, well over “A Thousand Poems” in my collection/series of “28” Tullawalla Booklets. After 2 months, this booklet is finally completed, and ready for sale now !! As always, they are available for purchase, either as a hard copy ‘Booklet’, or a PDF format….. All proceeds go to the MS Charity Shop, here in Geelong West….. Please contact me here through my website page and I can chat to you about arrangements from there…. Oh, the booklet is called “Tullawalla, A Third Eye is Watching”… And here is the link to my website >> https://ivors20.wordpress.com
Featured Images Above: by Derrick Knight > https://derrickjknight.com/
A Third Eye is Watching
When your emotions begin to flow
Do your senses amplify and grow?
Bodily aches and mental strains intensify
Your flooded brain feels like a third-eye
Wondering why?
You are paddling knee-high
In yesterday’s goodbyes
Today my universe
Hovers above my verse
And there is no reason to cry
While her soul resides high and dry
Ivor Steven (c) May 16th 2022
The Ekphrastic poetry workshop I attended on Wednesday was an inspiring event, and here I have written a tanka about a clay figurine as depicted in my Featured Image above.
Worldly Smirk (a Tanka)
I do not know you
But your glassy eyes know me
Why that worldly smirk
I have a million questions
Do you have all the answers
Ivor Steven (c) May 2022
Readers who follow my blog site would know that I attended an Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop during the week, and my poem here today is from a previous Ekphrastic workshop that I went to, in September 2018
Readers who follow my blog site would know that I attended an Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop during the week, and my poem here today is from a previous Ekphrastic workshop that I went to, in September 2018
Above is the Chapbook published by Geelong Writers, and the magnificent painting by Graeme Altmann, that inspired my poem ‘Waiting Time’
Waiting Time
I’m a time-traveler on a mission
Waiting for a personal vision
An image of my father’s ghost
To appear above the white-water coast
Millenniums ago, I delivered him to the ocean
Threw his ashes across the horizon
Away from faceless time-clocks
Away from hidden jagged rocks
Now I see him, proudly standing afloat
Wondering, who’s left to row the boat
Waiting for the breeze, without a sail
Seeking his passage through soundless hail
Beyond tumbling waves, a prism of light
Waiting stops, his alien spirit soars tonight
Ivor Steven (c) Sept…
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Continuing on from yesterday’s Ekphrastic poetry workshop, here is my poetic response to Shirley Drayton’s creative piece of textile artwork “Golden Sunflowers”
A Banner Of Sunflowers
look!
up there
above the War’s
darkest clouds
there is a blue banner
embroided with sunflowers
swaying
through a hole
in the eastern sky
bearing a message
of ‘Hello’
or is it ‘Goodbye’?
a sweeping reminder
from our Ancestors
“we feel your suffering and pain
from the merciless hard rain
blood filled rivers and cratered plains
smoke filled skylines and cracked windowpanes”
“however, we also know
beyond the broken horizon
the sunflower seeds of hope
will germinate again
and future seeds for peace
will regenerate a new campaign“
Ivor Steven (c) May 2022
Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop
Today I was invited to participate in a special poetry workshop where we could use one (or more) of the works of art on display as a prompt for the creation of a poetic response (the products of visual artists begetting products of a literary art!). The workshop was facilitated in situ at The Foundry Pottery Studio exhibition venue.
We have been given a few days to create our poems in response to the fascinating exhibition, and tonight I am presenting the photos I took at the rustic and interesting venue.
Featured Image Above: “Golden Sunflowers”, Shirley Drayton, Textile Art, the piece I have chosen to write about
Ivor Steven (c) May 2022
I look
upwards
there
on spiraling
warm air
a white petal
fluttering
like a dove
between
here and heaven
hovering
on a cloud of love
there
waving
from above
my angel
forever
faithful
I wave
“oh, my love,
aren’t you tired yet?”
Ivor Steven (c) May 2022
Sorry reader and followers for my lack of blogging today (and tomorrow) … The old poet traded his quill in this morning (and again tomorrow), for his old rusty spanner and diirty hammer ..
Back On The Tools. (adapted from “An Old-time Plumber”)
Could I actually do the task?
Am I physically strong enough?
Am I mentally sharp and stable enough?
To endure two days of hard work?
Surprise, surprise, I survived day one
Job nearly completed and clients suitably pleased
And I am home enjoying a red wine
Although when I finished it was almost dark
And my back was stiff as red-gum bark
But a job stamped by my old-time quality trademark
Over at Weekly Prompts, the monthly Colour Challenge for May is: Mellow Yellow. Please go and visit their fabulous site by clicking >> Here . Below is my “Tanka” response to their ‘Colour Prompt’ ..
Sunflower Seeds (a Tanka)
Blue skies were mellow
Fields were peaceful and yellow
Sunflowers grew free
Then foreign tanks squashed their seeds
On tomorrow’s scarred harrows
Ivor Steven (c) May 2022
I sit in silence
Tired, but calmly self-assured
Nestled and settled
Ivor Steven (c) May 2022
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 