After the Fall
After falling through the fragmented cloud,
the rusty and weary traveller
appeared to be disoriented,
without his familiar protective shroud.
Escaping his country has been hazardous,
and he longs for a restful shelter.
However, until the stampede’s contaminated dust
is devoured by its own mistrust-
then, and only then,
will the Almighty Sun
incinerate the lingering clouds
and allow the world’s war-torn sky
to redeem his sacred ground.
Today’s poem is one of my verses, composed of comments/anecdotes I posted on some of my fellow WordPress writers’ articles during the month. In stanza order, they are.
1 – Nancy, Order Of The Snake – The Elephant’s Trunk
2 – Beth, expression. | I didn’t have my glasses on….
3 – Bart, Monday Poetry Prompt: Under the Cushions | Living Poetry
4 – Violet, Untouched by Regret | Thru Violet’s Lentz
5 – Ivor, A response to Nancy’s comment, https://ivorplumberpoet.press/2025/08/14/surprise-surprise-a-tanka/
6 – David, Breaking hours, or: Yet it flows – The Skeptic’s Kaddish 🇮🇱
A Malay Kris and a Cracked Brick Wall
I’ll twist and dismiss
your kiss and hiss.
Then, with my Malay kris,
I’ll swish you up like this.
Little cracks
and threads of black
are nature’s imperfections-
waiting for filaments of imagination.
Under my luxurious woollen cushion
lies an old copy of The Australian Bulletin.
Also, from Great-grand-dad’s mystical Galleon,
there’s a hand-woven chiffon for his Spanish woman.
Regrets are like silhouettes-
they linger above your shoulders
like worn-out epaulettes
and burnt-out candle holders,
as shadowy images after sunset.
Line after line,
Time clutters my mind.
Will I be fine in time?
The sands of time
will forever fall through the hourglass,
and the shadows of time
always moves across the sundial.
Gravity continues to wear us down
and sunlight will always crack our mounds.
Ivor Steven (c) August 2025
It’ll be a full moon tomorrow, and appropriately, my Throwback Friday is a full moon poem, which I wrote in May 2024.
Please note that all attached images were taken by me late this afternoon (Thursday).
In the Full Moon’s Afterglow
My world’s worn-out words flow
From the torn sunflower meadows
To the silent streets of Moscow
Written on the hills of Dnipro in blue-line lingo
Beyond the reach of the full moon’s afterglow
And painted in lyrical tempo with hypnotic gusto
Am I to be another muted scarecrow
Mutilated by the warlords’ errant crossbows
.
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
Moon Crossing (a Tanka)
I see the white moon
Crossing the afternoon sky
I hear the moon sigh
“Why do I shine so brightly?
When my light falls on dark eyes”
Ivor Steven (c) August 2025
Hello dear readers and followers, unfortunately, I have to report that my dreaded “BLUE SCREEN CURSE” has returned, and with frustrating difficulty, I have been able to post this article tonight; however, as for my website blogging activities, I am very much restricted by the amount of available time I have left in between my numerous ‘Mirco Soft Shut Downs’ … Hence, the Beluga Lagoon music/video, “Blue” is my appropriate music choice tonight …
My Sky’s Icons (a Tanka)
The moon and the sun
My heavenly universe
For now, beyond reach
“Patience, my son, worry not
One day soon, your time will come.”
Ivor Steven (c) August 2025
A Fire That Burns in the Cold
From behind the trees,
And out of the grasses,
We cannot stop the fire
-That burning desire-
From soaring higher,
Higher than the entire
Starry, starry choir.
So, best we inquire
To the Almighty Supplier:
“Will there be a ceasefire
at the top of your golden spire?”
.
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 © July 2025
Hello, dear readers and followers. I write for Coffee House Writers magazine (USA) fortnightly, and my poem “Now Falls Into Then” is in this week’s edition. …
To read the poem, please click the link below to visit my Coffee House Writers Magazine article.
>> https://coffeehousewriters.com/now-falls-into-then/
.
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 © July 2025
Beyond the Mirror
I thought the sky
Had fallen down
There, in a ground puddle
I saw the silvery moon
Looking up at me
And then I saw the universe
In a blade of grass
.
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 © July 2025
Today’s poem is one of my verses made up of comments I posted on some of my fellow WordPress writers’ articles during the month … In stanza order, they are:
* Paul, The Moment – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon | parallax
* Carol, Some people say I’m off my trolley – Therapy Bits
* David, The shape, or: Letting go – The Skeptic’s Kaddish 🇮🇱
* David, https://skepticskaddish.com/2025/06/27/mouthfuls-of-silence-or-sign-language/
Let the Rivers Flow (a Combined Poem)
The tides of time are forever changing
Going beyond our depth can be frightening
But testing the unknown waters can be rewarding
We are all off our trolley
We all like our Lollies
We all forget the brolly
Life is a hectic folly
So, best we stay jolly
And always chat to Polly
If things don’t change
Things will remain the same
Let the cascades fall
May the rivers always flow
Forever changing our lives
With the current’s undertow
Sometimes I wonder
If I am drowning in the sound
Of words that are on the tip of my tongue
And their lifeline has melted
Into the silent recesses of my mind
Ivor Steven (c) June 2025
“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” ~ Carl Jung
Thank you to Gigi for her thought-evocative “Questions” article, >> https://gigisrantsandraves.wordpress.com/2025/06/12/questions-11/
which inspired me to write this questionable poetic response.
Mysterious Alien spacecraft trails in the morning sky
A healthy-looking Theo, after spending the frosty night under his beach umbrella
How, When, and Why?
Too many unanswerable questions for me
“They” say all life originated from the sea
But that doesn’t explain how we came to be
I’m here talking to Theo the Tomato Tree
About how he survived last night’s Jack Frosty
And we’re waiting for “those aliens” next corroboree
When will “They” mystically reprogram the story?
That mum told me about the birds and the bees
… Ivor’s uncorroborated theory!
Ivor Steven (c) June 2025
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 