Category: Photos by Derrick Knight

Congregating Every Day

Hello dear readers and followers, this poem today is the first piece I have written for 3 weeks, after being unable to attempt any computer work because of my debilitating back pain. I’m afraid my back is still very sore, and this article has been put together via short sittings at my desk over the last 3 days. I think Derrick’s photos captured my imagination and stirred my tired mind to write something creative.

All Photographs, by Derrick Knight, and thank you once again for allowing me to reproduce your fabulous images here on my poetry site …
>> https://derrickjknight.com/2022/08/18/no-one-told-the-ponies/

And this is now our 39th poem/photograph collaboration, and a “Glossy Coffee-table” type book “Perceptions” is on the way, hopefully, available before Christmas.

No-one told the ponies



Congregating Every Day




There they patiently stand

Congregating every day

Outside the community shop

And the village letterbox


Most of them are posting

Food parcels to their equine relatives

Hungry and abandoned in the Ukraine


Others wait forlornly

For any news of encouragement

About the health and whereabouts

From their frightened families

Inside war-torn Ukraine


There they patiently stand

Congregating every day






Ivor Steven ©  August 2022

A Soul’s Weary Retreat

Featured Image Above: ‘Peace Milestones’ by Derrick Knight, and thank you Derrick for kindly allowing me to reproduce your fabulous photos on my poetry site
>> https://derrickjknight.com/2022/07/29/no-more-than-a-truce/



A Soul’s Weary Retreat




Boulders did tumble

Across my gravelly path

Hard stones have bruised my feet


Decades of broken milestones

Did crumble

Into my lonesome creek


But my old waterlogged boots

Kept pounding the cobblestone streets

Defying the weariness of my soul’s retreat



Ivor Steven (c) August 2022

Urban Glare

The weekend challenge on Weekly Prompts is: Review. Please visit their fabulous site by clicking >> Here … Below is my response to their prompt, and you are quite welcome to ‘Read and Review’ my poem “Urban Glare”

Featured Image Above: by Derrick Knight >> https://derrickjknight.com/2022/04/28/across-the-stream/



Urban Glare





Down into the valley

I wander

Away from urban glare

Beyond reach

Of those who do not care

About nature’s faded flare


Along a cool creek

I wander

Away from urban air

Beyond sight

Of those arrogant stares

Who do not see nature’s plight






Ivor Steven (c) July 2022

Old Ground

Featured Image Above: by Derrick Knight, and a sincere thank you to Derrick for allowing me to use his fabulous photos here on my poetry site.
>> https://derrickjknight.com/2022/07/27/stagnant-pea-soup/



Old Ground



Along the cracked track I walk

Always in the same direction

But today I was discombobulated




I did not know the difference

Between east or west

Or whether I was moving up or down




But then

I felt the world

Rumble under my feet




There in every blade of grass

I could hear

The earth’s heartbeat




A soft sobbing sound

Of the lost children

Resting under ground







Ivor Steven (c) July 2022

Metamorphosis, is up at Coffee House Writers Magazine

Hello dear readers and followers, I now write for “Coffee House Writers” magazine on a fortnightly basis, and my poem“Metamorphosis”, is in this week’s edition of Coffee House Writers Magazine. … please click on the link below to read my poem, at Coffee House Writers >> 
https://coffeehousewriters.com/metamorphosis/

Thank you to Derrick Knight for sending me his butterfly photo to accompany my caterpillar photo >> https://derrickjknight.com/







Ivor Steven (c) July 2022

Faerie Runnels

Last week when I was visiting Eugenia’s fabulous site >> https://amanpan.com/2022/06/23/my-journey-thrives/
she introduced me to a Poetry Format, called a “Mariannet”, and I thought I would try to write one … The mariannet is an isosyllabic rhyming poem, consisting of one or more five-line stanzas (quintains) with one syllable in the first line, three in the second, nine in the third, six in the fourth, and eight in the fifth and final line. The first two lines rhyme with each other, and so does the third and fourth, but the fifth is nonrhyming and does not rhyme with any other lines. Thus its rhyme scheme can be expressed as aabbx for each individual quintain (with x representing the nonrhyming line). In Moore’s original formatting of the form, the third and fourth lines were indented five spaces and the fifth ten spaces. … Below is my fun Mariannet,

The Featured Image Above, and the photo on the left below, and from Derrick Knight’s fabulous site >> https://derrickjknight.com/2022/06/24/too-close/





Faerie Runnels




Brave

The dark cave

…..Chase the faeries down the tunnel

…..Find their magic runnel

……….A hidden spring full of sparkle


Dare

Be aware

…..Sip from their bubbling fountain of youth

…..One nip of ancient truth

……….And your dreams will turn into dust






Ivor Steven ©  June 2022

Do Not Quote Me?

This poem is not really a poem, but a poem made from some of my quotes that I have occasionally posted here on my site, and the creating of this collection/poem was prompted by Derrick Knight’s, Feature Image Above >> and you may visit his site via this link >> https://derrickjknight.com/2022/06/24/too-close/


Do Not Quote Me?




“A poet following a poet, gives you poetry in motion”

“The tunnel is growing wider 

The light is glowing brighter”

“He who worships from the tallest tree, 

should be weary of the broken branches he trod on below” 

“Stories emanate from the heart. Literature lives in every heartbeat “



“Not all literature is perfect, none of us are perfect”






Ivor Steven (c) June 2022

There Will Be An Answer

The Featured Image above was taken by Derrick Knight, and when I viewed his heartwarming photo of the foal peacefully sleeping on the grass, my mind was immediately inspired to write words, and after numerous attempts to create something worthy of Derrick’s beautiful photo, I eventually produced this poem “There Will Be An Answer” … and my poem is to be read by pretending that you are the “foal’s” thoughts … You may visit Derrick’s article by clicking on this Link >>
https://derrickjknight.com/2022/06/20/shadows-and-reflections/


There Will Be An Answer


All the world is green

Within my midday dream

Please, do not disturb me

Let me sleep, let me be

Let it be, let it be


I do not comprehend

Your unnatural trends

Of killing your neighbours

After kicking in their sacred doors


Do not listen to me

Hear the breeze among the trees

There, under nature’s ancient marquee

She wisely decrees

Live in harmony like the bees

Co-existence is free

Let it be, let it be






Ivor Steven (c) June 2022

Tullawalla #28, A Third Eye is Watching

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

A Third Eye is Watching 

Happy 75th birthday to my dear departed wife Carole, and I am also celebrating the 10th anniversary of her passing from this world.
Featured Image above: Is a collage I created from 2 of Derrick Knight’s photographs, and thank you to Derrick, for allowing me to use his photos here in conjunction with my poem. >> https://derrickjknight.com/2022/04/15/swarms-of-moths/



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) 17th April 2022