In response to Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday
>> https://tankatuesday.com/2025/06/24/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-18-fruit-6-24-25/
No Apples or Oranges (a Tanka)
My wheels have gone north
The fruit bowls are all empty
I’ve one banana
A bunch of grapes in the fridge
And my larder’s looking bare
Ivor Steven © June 2025
Beyond the Trees (a Tanka)
Low in the cold sky
The winter sun beckons me
My watery eyes
Cannot see beyond the trees
Please rescue me, set me free
.
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 © June 2025
Today’s poem is in response to Sadje’s Photo Prompt >> What do you see # 294- 23 June, 2025 – – https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2025/06/23/what-do-you-see-294-23-june-2025/
My poem can be interpreted into both of Sadje’s prompt images.
Life, Beyond the Lines
Life’s a continual battle
but the battle lines
are there to be crossed
Life’s wondrous museum
inspires me to keep exploring
the universe’s grand Colosseum
Ivor Steven © June 2025
My iPad Cushion
In the mornings
I like to lie in bed
And use my iPad
I sit up with pillows
Behind my back
And I have a rolled-up white towel
That I use as an iPad cushion
And Frankie usually sleeps on my feet
However, on this cold winter morning
Frankie decided to snuggle up closer
Which enabled me to rest the iPad
On his white, fluffy head
Without even a blink of an eye lid
He was simply happy to be near me
Ivor Steven © June 2025
Winter Solstice’s Pink Finale
From high above the trees
Nature decrees
Winter solstice is here
With zero degrees
And a frosty veneer
Above sunset’s finale archway
Nature celebrated the shortest day
With an extravagant display
Of twilight’s vibrant pink ballet
Ivor Steven (c) June 2025
Above, the pretty poet fairy and my neighbouring stallholder, Meagan
A Pretty Poet Fairy
We all believe in the magical world of fairies
And we all know about
The mischievous toadstool fairies
And the benevolent tooth fairies
Naiads and Nymphs are nature’s
Wondrous water-bound fairies
And I personally chat to the Dryads
Our wise and protective tree fairies
Today, at the Makers Market
I was lucky enough
To meet a pretty poet fairy
She was curiously fascinated
By my yellow ‘Lucky-dip’ bucket
“Dig deep, and take a poem home”
“May I?” she politely asked
“You are more than welcome”
She gently grabbed a lucky envelope
and sweetly grinned
“May I take one for my sister”
“Yes, of course”
“Oh, I have a little sister too!
Amused, I said, “No worries”
“And my dad likes poetry too!”
“That’s lovely, you must have a wonderful dad”
Her enchanting smile made my day
Ivor Steven (c) June 2025
Redefining My Lines
I was a brittle piece of old oak
After suffering my three strokes
Which had left me in a dim coal mine
Where I was a fish out of water
Left hanging on the line
To shudder and totter
Recovery was a gradual incline
That felt like a slippery alpine
But I kept on thinking
Everything would be fine
If I never stopped dreaming
Of redefining myself, on cloud nine
In my adaptable mind
I have thrown myself a new lifeline
Via a bundle of woolly Canadian twine
And it is now my time
To enjoy a new bed of roses and wine
Ivor Steven (c) June 2025
Today’s Throwback Friday was written in January 2021
Hello readers and followers, today, I am continuing with my theme of “Moom” poems. If you need to chat with me, “I am up here floating on the moon.“
Floating On The Moon
I am not always wrong
And at times, I may have been right
Behind my mask, I smile
And at times, I grimace
Numbness has entered my bones
Clumsiness guides my pen
Awkwardness precedes my stride
Uneasiness resonates in my voice
I am not able to walk on water
And at times, I have sunk like a stone
I live within my soul’s cocoon
And at times, I am floating on the moon
Ivor Steven (c) June 2025
It’s Market Day this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.!
* Our popular monthly markets are all undercover at Centrepoint Arcade on the third Saturday of every month.
* They feature art, unique goods from local makers, second-hand goods, plants, books, and more.
* There are also open art studios, Yesterday Vintage, Untether Gallery, HBT Collectables, and the May’d Shop.
All at, Centrepoint Arcade
132 Little Malop St, Geelong
From 11 am to 3 pm
And I’ll be there with my “New Bookstall Set-up”
Ivor Steven (c) June 2025
I’ve been having computer problems lately, and I’m frustrated with Microsoft’s “Error” shutdowns.
So, I decided to spend the day in my courtyard garden. I had already purchased two plants to pot in my empty hanging baskets: a Fuchsia Hybrid (“Flash” with a magenta and red flower) and a Phlox Subulata (‘ McDaniels Cushion’ with a pink flower).
Firstly, I had to install a beam from which the baskets could hang! Anyhow, without going into too much detail, four hours later the task was completed.
The main purpose of my project is to provide ‘Theo’ with some colourful companions over his arduous winter journey.
‘Theo’, bottom, left of centre, looking up at the two hanging baskets.
This evening’s photos of the Fuchsia (“Francis”), Phlox Subulata (“Daniel”), and “Theo”
Ivor Steven (c) June 2025
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 