Throwback Friday, Sleeplessness, by Ivor Steven

My ‘Throwback Friday’ poem over at “Go Dog Go Cafe”

ivor20's avatarGo Dog Go Café

Last week I posted a poem from three years ago when I was hospitalised for three months, and ironically, or coincidently I happened to be hospitalised this week, but fortunately my stay was only brief this time, so, appropropriately today I am posting this piece from three years ago .

Sleeplessness

I’m consumed by tiredness

In this healing castle of sleeplessness

Where the nightingales flitty about

Like hummingbirds in a drought

The witch-doctors come and go

With their underlings following to and fro

During the day there’s noisiness and bright lights

And life is just the same throughout the night

Ivor Steven (c) December 2018

G’day, and welcome to my blog site. My name is Ivor Steven, I live in Geelong, Australia. I’m an ex-industrial chemist, and a retired plumber, and a former Carer of my wife(Carole), for 30 years, who suffered from severe MS. I Write poetry about those…

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Arm Less

This afternoon I was having one of my recovery sleeps after my elbow surgery, when I was suddenly woken by a violent summer storm, and in flash I wrote these words… and without a second thought of what I was writing or thinking, and without being bashful, here is my 5 minute poem


Arm Less


I’m arm less against the storms

Thoughtless in their violence

Voiceless is their silence

Boneless flesh that flood

Endless wars with blood





Ivor Steven © December 2021

Kissed By An Angel

Hello readers and followers, I am happy to say that I am home after my operation on my elbow and recovering well ..




Kissed By An Angel


According to ancient folklore

From foreign shores

I should be grateful

For being kissed on the cheeks by an angel


However, many moons ago

When I was a young beau

I had pimples in my dimples


Now I am old and single

My dimples look like moon craters

Full of freckles and wrinkles





Ivor Steven (c) November 2021

Haibun Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Hello readers and followers, today we are presenting something new from “Go Dog Go Cafe”, which is being organised by Donna Matthews, an interesting format of writing a “Haibun”, so read all about how to write a Haibun, and you are all welcome to join us at Go Dog Go Cafe, and post your articles here on “Haibun Wednesdays” …

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Welcome to Go Dog Go Cafe’s Inaugural Haibun Wednesday!


A bit of background…

If you’ve been around the cafe awhile, you might know that I was working through 100 Poetry Forms with the help of Robert Brewer at Writer’s Digest. But of late, I found myself struggling and not wanting to write. The forms were complicated and not at all what I wanted to be working on, so, last month, I decided to let the challenge go. This letting go is not something I do easily; instead, I tend to keep a death grip on things, doing more and more until I crash in exhaustion. The truth is, I’m still learning how to be a well-functioning human (at 51 😂), and each time we say yes to something, we say no to something else. By continuing the 100 Poetry Form challenge, I was saying no to learning and practicing…

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Time Watches Over Us

The words of this poem were inspired by comments that I left on Colleen’s and Donna’s post’s recently [ https://bikecolleenbrown.wordpress.com/ and https://www.djranch.org/ ], and the Featured Image Above, is one of Derrick Knight’s fabulous photos [ https://derrickjknight.com/ ] …

Time Watches Over Us


ours is not to reason why

for we are merely a fly

in the bigger sky

just passing by


however!


we do not stop learning

because every day

teaches us something new


and!


we cannot cease loving

because every day

our universe

creates something new

for us to love


yes!


the wheels of time

do not stop turning

and grandfather clocks

do not stop chiming





Ivor Steven (c) November 2021

Promote Yourself Monday, November 29, 2021

Dear readers and followers, here’s a great opportunity for your writings to be read by other writers, and also to find and meet other writers. You are very welcome to participate, come along and visit our writer friendly site…..by clicking on the link at the bottom of this article >>
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Promote yourself Mon

Welcome toPromote Yourself Monday. All Go Dog Go Cafe community members are invited to postonelink to one specific piece of their writing (600 words or less please!) they have published on their blog, Facebook page, or Instagram feed into the comments section below.

If you post a link, be sure to read some of the other great writing people have linked to.

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A Sudden Change of Plans

Ironically or coincidently, after re-posting several poems from my hospitalisation time three years ago … I suddenly found out that I am to be back in hospital for a short stay during the week … but I am only going up to level four, not that far from the ground floor, and within a short walk to the front door …


A Sudden Change of Plans


Early on Friday

I received a phone call

From the Geelong hospital

Informing me that my elective surgery

Was unexpectedly moved to be on next week


Then suddenly

Early this morning

Under the precautionary health guidelines

I was sent to be tested for the ‘Covid’ virus


And now I am in home isolation

For the next three days

Prior to my left elbow surgery

Early Wednesday morning


If everything goes according to plan

And all being well

I should be home

Early Wednesday evening





Ivor Steven (c) November 2021

Either Way

On Weekly Prompts, the Weekend Challenge isFork In The Road , please go over and visit their fabulous site by clincking >> Here . The poem “Either Way” below is my response to their prompt

Either Way


At this point in time

Do you feel we have lost our way?

Our spinning world of rhyme

Is one big rotting orb of grime


Our life’s a journey

A climb up into the light

Or a fall into Hades

Either way, over time

Has existence become jaded?


We wait for a calming serenade

From above dark clouds full of pain

Us mere mortals need a different space

If our dreams are to ascend beyond this place





Ivor Steven (c) November 2021

December’s Creativity Prompt Challenge: Once Upon a December

Here is some writing prompts from ‘Brave & Reckless’ for December

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For December, I look to book titles related to Christmas, the month of December, and Winter for inspiration.

The books that these prompts are drawn from represent many different voices and points of view.  I hope that you find them as evocative as I do and that you will be intrigued enough to learn more about them.

There is only one rule to my prompt challenge: the poem or book title should serve as the title of your piece OR all the words of the title should be integrated into your piece somehow.   

I LOVE posting your prompt responses on Brave & Reckless.  I welcome your poetry, prose, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, essay, and art.  I will accept responses to any of December’s prompts on any day, but will not start publishing them on Brave & Reckless until December 1st.

Email your prompt responses with a short bio…

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Throwback Friday, Lines To Nowhere, by Ivor Steven

This Weeks Throwback Friday poem at “Go Dog Go Cafe” is “Lines To Nowhere” from November 2018

ivor20's avatarGo Dog Go Café

Over on my website, I have recently re-posted two of my older poems from a time three years ago, when I was beginning a three month stay in hospital. I was originally suffering from a “mystery” virus, and then I had a stroke, followed by another minor stroke. … Somehow I managed to write about that three month journey via my poems, and today I’m presenting a poem I wrote from my hospital bed during the second week of hospitalisation.

Lines To Nowhere

My curtains were opened

I saw a setting eclipse

And I decided to walk

To the south side of the moon

Taking my own spoon

I heard there’s a cheese-cake tasting

A sweet crumbly base

Topped with blueberries and cream

Life’s not about lying in bed

I’ll meet you for a kiss

After school

Down by the old pool

Ivor Steven (c) October 2018

G’day, and welcome…

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