Featured Image Above: Yesterday’s silhouette. A crow arcs through the sky— fractured wings, tattered heartstrings. Time flies, but never asks permission.
Time Flies
I need to escape the fray,
and fly away from yesterday.
Time does not feel the undertow;
Time is hungry like a crow.
But how far can I go with fractured wings
and tattered heartstrings?
Time does not need a manager —
Time carries no passengers.
Ivor Steven (c) November 2025
“Frankie the Salesman, master of the lucky-dip and poetry protocol. Cavalier by nature, befriending by heart.”
Frankie the Salesman
Here we are, under the glass-roofed part
Of the covered Centrepoint Arcade.
The spring sun is decorating our book stall,
And my salesman is in charge of poetry protocol.
The ‘Take a Poem Home Lucky-dip’ is again very popular
My furry assistant has been willingly jocular,
And appropriately, befriendingly cavalier.
Ivor Steven (c) November 2025
Featured Image Above: Yesterday’s café visit lingered in my thoughts… and became this poem. A world briefly unbroken.
The first 8 images are from my walking track this morning, and the last 3 images are from my sister’s walking track in Smythsdale.
A World Briefly Unbroken
Through the gate we go,
To find today’s silhouettes and shadows,
And to replay nature’s unspoiled show.
Spring has finally awoken;
Blue sky has ceased being a hidden token,
And this mad world of poisonous potions
Briefly hovers before our eyes, unbroken
Ivor Steven (c) November 2025
Today’s Throwback Friday poem is drawn from my upcoming book, Time Hears No Sound. It opens Chapter 3, Time: Hears No Commands—a section that explores the quiet rebellion of nature and spirit against the ticking of the clock.
Flying Through Time
Flying below the clouds
or
Zooming above the bay
or
Swooping across the paddocks
My wings
are oblivious
to the climb
And do not hear
the sound of time
.
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 (c) January 2025
“Not quite flight—but the leap is mine.”
“I wanted to show that I could do things as well as anyone else, even if I did have to do them differently.” … Alan Marshall, the author of ‘I Can Jump Puddles’
Tomorrow is Another Day
I cannot fly beyond the platinum twilight,
and soaring above sunset’s iridescent clouds
would be to achieve the impossible dream.
But I can jump puddles,
and I am more than ready to leap —
as far as my weary wings will take me
Ivor Steven (c) November 2025
My Legislator
Sun shines through the pines.
Wattlebirds in the wattletrees.
More crows than magpies.
Butterflies and dragonflies.
Rabbits digging for carrots.
Manuscripts under the eucalypts,
Writers lighting campfires.
Poetry — no need for a legislator.
Nature is my translator.
Ivor Steven (c) November 2025
Who was In My Bed?
I always make my bed in the morning
As soon as I get up.
Surprise, surprise!
When I arrived home from outing
To the Geelong Short Play Festival show
There: my bed covers, we’re all ruffled up!
“Who had been sleeping in my bed?”
When I left my house
There was only one guy inside
To look after the place
While I was out having a good time
Yep! … you guessed it
That, guilty-looking, “Frankie”
Ivor Steven (c) November 2025
The Inaugural Geelong Short Play Festival
By Ivor
Today I attended the matinee session of the Geelong Short Play Festival at the Geelong Performing Arts Centre, and left feeling inspired by the depth of local talent and the warmth of community spirit.
Organised by Geelong Writers Inc. and supported by the Geelong Arts Centre, the festival marks a vibrant new chapter in the region’s creative calendar. As Paul Bucci, Chair of the Geelong Short Play Festival Working Group, shared:
“The festival is an initiative of the Geelong Writers Group, a not-for-profit community group formed to promote support for writers of all genres and to promote writing and literature in the Geelong and Surf Coast regions.
We hope the festival will become an annual event in Geelong, providing a wonderful opportunity to develop and showcase local talent in writing and performance.
This year, the festival features six plays by local writers that were chosen from 36 plays submitted for consideration and supported by five local theatre groups. Thanks to everyone who took the time to submit – well done to all of you.”
Paul Bucci. Geelong Short Play Festival Working Group Chair:
The Geelong Performing Arts Centre
There are several theatres in the Arts Centre: The festival was held at “The Open House”
It was a full house.
The audience—an eclectic mix of theatre lovers, writers, and curious locals—responded with generous applause and lively conversation during intermission. It was clear that this wasn’t just a showcase, but a celebration of Geelong’s creative pulse.
Among the festival’s generous sponsors was Jaymah Press, a local publishing house committed to nurturing regional voices. It was a delight to see Judy Rankin, editor and publisher at Jaymah, acknowledged for her support—not only of the festival, but of countless writers in the Geelong community.
On a personal note, Judy happens to be the editor and publisher of my own books, and I’m continually grateful for her thoughtful guidance and unwavering belief in the power of poetry and storytelling. Her presence at the festival felt like a quiet thread of continuity—linking the written word to the performed one, and reminding us how interconnected our creative journeys truly are
Ivor Steven (c) November 2025
“Surfacing from the sea of edits — Frankie keeps watch while I wrestle the waves of words.”
Drowning in Words
Emerging from a sea of black and white,
Normal fonts floating to the right,
Italic letters cascading to the left —
Manuscript time has been my head chef.
The last race on the card is over.
Proofreading is suffering from overexposure.
My foggy mind is resting under the cloud cover,
And I’m recuperating on a bed of clover.
“Proofreading fatigue meets sonic flood — Amanda Palmer’s ‘Drowning in the Sound’ echoes the emotional undertow of my own ‘Drowning in Words.’”
Ivor Steven © November 2025
Throwback Friday: Shadows Revisited. First shared in January 2025, this poem now finds its place as the opening to my upcoming collection, Time Hears No Sound.
The final proofreading of my upcoming poetry collection, Time Hears No Sound, is nearly complete. This weekend marks the last quiet read-through before I send it off to my editor and publisher (Judy). Meanwhile, my talented cover designer (Kerri) is crafting the book’s visual soul. There’s still a journey ahead, but everything is unfolding beautifully. Thank you for walking beside me.
Lost and Found – or – There, Here, and Where?
There
Lying on solid ground,
my shallow shadow wears no face
And utters no sound.
Here
My outline bears no carapace.
Where
On a graveside mound,
I see my darkness —
waiting to be found.
.
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 … and I can send you a PayPal account,
for the Book, plus Postage.
Ivor Steven © November 2025
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 