“Do not try to live forever, you will not succeed.” George Bernard Shaw
About Today
They say ‘seventy-two’
Is the optimum room temperature
Today, I reached that ideal peak
I am not feeling older or any bolder
But my bones are weaker and colder
And heavy headstones have scored my shoulders
One day, time will have the final say
And while my eyes hear sound
I shall continue to write about today
Ivor Steven (c) July 2023
Behind the Blinds, We Hear the Music
We are relaxing at the Box Office Cafe
The rustic venue is nearly full
Despite the day’s wintry wind
Everyone is warm and comfortable
Behind the verandah’s new protective blinds
We are listening to a glorious song by Sigur Ros
Playing to a happy community gathering
At a bucolic open-air stage in Iceland
And the stirring concert auspiciously reflects
The collective ambience of our surroundings
Ivor Steven (c) July 2023
A poem of mine that had been hidden away in my files. I originally wrote the piece in August 2018 and here I am presenting my revised version, which I rewrote today.
Whispering Wind (Revised)
I hear the wind whistling in the trees
Melodic sounds of rustling leaves
Swirling down through the branches
Nature’s prancing colourful dancers
Fluttering faeries of the forest floor
I hear the wind applause for more
Seasonal breezes carrying pollen spores
Germinating ancient lands over the eons
Eden’s garden of blossom and vines
Serving our tables with fruit and wines
I hear the wind reciting my memories and rhymes
Tullawalla is Available From
Jaymah Press:https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
Ivor Steven: email, ivorrs20@gmail.com
Amazon: search via, ‘Tullawalla by Ivor Steven’
AND
Perceptions is Now Available via:
Amazon: https://amzn.asia/d/4yFHWrT
Jaymah Press: https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
OR: email me directly for a signed copy – ivorrs20@gmail.com
Ivor Steven (c) July 2023
Birds Carrying Twigs (a Tanka)
With twigs in his beak
Early nest building begins
As westerly winds
Enduringly, push his wings
Toward his endearing home
Tullawalla is Available From
Jaymah Press:https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
Ivor Steven: email, ivorrs20@gmail.com
Amazon: search via, ‘Tullawalla by Ivor Steven’
AND
Perceptions is Now Available via:
Amazon: https://amzn.asia/d/4yFHWrT
Jaymah Press: https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
OR: email me directly for a signed copy – ivorrs20@gmail.com
Ivor Steven (c) July 2023
Hello dear readers and followers, I am now writing for “Coffee House Writers” magazine on a fortnightly basis, and my poem “Misplaced in Space”, is in this week’s edition of Coffee House Writers Magazine. … please click on the link below and visit my poem, at Coffee House Writers Magazine. >> https://coffeehousewriters.com/misplaced-in-space/
Ivor Steven (c) July 2023
Today I am presenting another poem that will be appearing in my new book “Until Eyes Hear Sound”. I wrote ‘No Place Like Home’ in August 2020, and the poem will be the opening piece in Chapter 7. Memories and Rhymes
No Place Like Home
A sleeping beauty in her nightwear
Pure honesty lived in our home atmosphere
Her truth breathed, the air we shared
Hiding behind white silent doors
They tried to take her from our shores
By nailing her bed to a hospital floor
They heard my stoic voice roar
I told them, they wouldn’t win
“And watch out!! Don’t throw her in
you’ll surely regret your foolish sin
be warned, she’s Circe the Siren”
When I held her sweetness
I believe I touched greatness
And achieved weightlessness
Today’s poem might be the 2nd poem I recite at Geelong’s Lowercase Poetry Open Mic event tonight … or maybe the piece will be too sentimental for me to read …
A Blanket of Golden Sun
I’m flying above silver linings
Gliding on layers of white velvet
Travelling toward a golden horizon
Looking for her celestial star
Bright as today’s golden sun
That warm blanket of radiance
Lovingly crafted by her gentle hands
Held together by golden strings
From a softly humming violin
That played our song, “Once Upon a Time”
Reciting the golden hours of our love story
“Once Upon a Time”: our favourite version, sung by Bobby Darin
Tullawalla is Available From
Jaymah Press:https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
Ivor Steven: email, ivorrs20@gmail.com
Amazon: search via, ‘Tullawalla by Ivor Steven’
AND
Perceptions is Now Available via:
Amazon: https://amzn.asia/d/4yFHWrT
Jaymah Press: https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
OR: email me directly for a signed copy – ivorrs20@gmail.com
Ivor Steven (c) July 2023
Today’s poem is a piece I’ll be reciting at Geelong’s Lowercase Poetry open mic event tomorrow evening (Thursday)
An Enchantresses Flower
Beyond the golden horizon
Blooms a star-spangled ocean
Beware!
Beneath the sparkling whitecaps golden hour
Beckons the siren Circe with her enchantress flower
Tullawalla is Available From
Jaymah Press:https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
Ivor Steven: email, ivorrs20@gmail.com
Amazon: search via, ‘Tullawalla by Ivor Steven’
AND
Perceptions is Now Available via:
Amazon: https://amzn.asia/d/4yFHWrT
Jaymah Press: https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
OR: email me directly for a signed copy – ivorrs20@gmail.com
Ivor Steven (c) July 2023
At Weekly Prompts, the Weekend Challenge is the word, Discovery. Please go over and visit their fabulous site by clicking >> Here … and my poem below is in response to their prompt
Winter Sun
What my careless eyes perceived
My unprepared senses
Soon discovered, they were deceived
The day appeared sunny enough for a stroll
And I ventured into the afternoon cold
Ten steps out, a glacial wind took hold
The sharp Antarctic blast
Snapped every limb within grasp
My breath turned into icy glass
My ears were stabbed by frigid darts
My cheeks were slapped by gloves of frozen brass
And the winter sun failed to warm my heart
Tullawalla is Available From
Jaymah Press:https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
Ivor Steven: email, ivorrs20@gmail.com
Amazon: search via, ‘Tullawalla by Ivor Steven’
AND
Perceptions is Now Available via:
Amazon: https://amzn.asia/d/4yFHWrT
Jaymah Press: https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
OR: email me directly for a signed copy – ivorrs20@gmail.com
Ivor Steven (c) July 2023
Today I am presenting another poem that will be appearing in my new book “Until Eyes Hear Sound”. I wrote ‘Flying Bricks of War’ in May 2021, and the poem will be the opening piece in Chapter 6. War! Without Peace
Featured Image Above: Gaza Strip border, Kibbutz Netiv Ha’Asara, Israel © Kai Wiendenhofer
Flying Bricks of War
There is a divisive brick wall
That stands harsh and tall
To stop people breaking their fall
Then the leaders in ivory towers
Ceased talking about peace and flowers
And hurled bricks into that sandy strip
One brick after another brick
Flew from one side to the other
Smashing innocent children and mothers
Flying bricks crumbling into dust
Creating dirty clouds of mistrust
The walls of Babylon fell again
As brick upon brick crushed human brains
Brick upon brick filled the bloody drains
Brick upon brick killed and maimed
Tullawalla is Available From
Jaymah Press:https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
Ivor Steven: email, ivorrs20@gmail.com
Amazon: search via, ‘Tullawalla by Ivor Steven’
AND
Perceptions is Now Available via:
Amazon: https://amzn.asia/d/4yFHWrT
Jaymah Press: https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
OR: email me directly for a signed copy – ivorrs20@gmail.com
Ivor Steven (c) July 2023
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 