Category: Poems

Tullawalla #24, I Softly Walk

Hello dear readers and followers … amazingly, I have still managed to produce my “Twenty Forth Tullawalla” Poetry 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 “1015 poems”, Yep over “A Thousand Poems” in my collection/series of 24 Tullawalla Booklets. After 4 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 about arrangements from there…. Oh, the booklet is called “Tullawalla, I Softly Walk”… And here is the link to my website >> https://ivors20.wordpress.com



Softly I Walk


My sensitive old pen

Bleeds words of why and when

And scrawls blue lines now and then


Life and love have left me breathless

However, my empty body is not heartless

Nor is my tired soul sightless


I hear the crusty sky softly walk

And I listen to my angel’s wings quietly talk

About when her universe turned into chalk





Ivor Steven (c) October 20212

Throwback Friday, Tea Leaf’s, by Ivor Steven

Whoops… Again the reblog button at “Go Dog Go Cafe” didn’t work, so this is a ‘copy & paste’ post today … You may visit my article at GDGC by clicking on the link >>
http://godoggocafe.com/2021/10/01/throwback-friday-tea-leafs-by-ivor-steven/

Today’s poem is one that I have revised a couple of times, and this edition is from November 2019



Tea Leaf’s (Revised)




It’s early morn, time to break away

From last night’s, dream-time soiree

But first, I must make my bed

“Yes, just like Mum said”

Oh, I gratefully do remember

As I straighten the quilt cover

And I like to fluff-up my pillows

Ready for an evening’s bout with stupid cupid’s arrows





I’ve a long storage bedhead shelf

However I’m smiling, satisfied within myself

It’s always untidy and in disarray

And last nights scribbles are all on display

I gather up this multitude of loose words

The mess of my midnight songbirds

Snippets of my subconscious memories

Pieces of forgotten wistful dreams

And I begin to decode my jumbled site

Then emotionally, I start to rewrite

About the tea-leaf’s, floating on a calm sea

Forming love letters, from her to me





Ivor Steven (c)  Nov 2019

Halloween-themed Prompt Challenge (Guest Submissions)

Hello writers and fellow creatives! Here at the Go Dog Go Cafe, we have some exciting news! From now until October 25th, we will be accepting guest submissions for the Cafe! We are looking to drum up some excitement for the Halloween season and want to give other writers a chance to showcase their work to our community!

Leona's avatarGo Dog Go Café

Hello writers and fellow creatives! Here at the Go Dog Go Cafe, we have some exciting news! From now until October 25th, we will be accepting guest submissions for the Cafe! We are looking to drum up some excitement for the Halloween season and want to give other writers a chance to showcase their work to our community!

Guidelines:

  1. Write or create an original piece that is inspired by the season of Halloween.  The prompt can be used as the piece title; you can use the word “halloween” or be inspired by other aspects of the season.
  2. We will accept poetry, prose, flash fiction, essay, creative nonfiction or art.
  3. Pieces of writing should be 1,500 words or less.
  4. Your submission must be posted in the comments. Either as a link to a post or the full piece in the comments.
  5. Submissions will be reviewed by the Bartistas. We…

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Mad-hatters, No Matter the Season

On “Weekly Prompts” the Wednesday Challenge is, AUTUMN MAGIC. Please go and visit their fabulous site by clicking >> Here and the below poem is my response to their ‘prompt’ ..

Mad-hatters, No Matter the Season


The latter of matter

Did not scale the ladder

The origin of matter 

Is in our hearts pitter-patter


Matter is neither flatter nor fatter 

“What does it matter 

If we are all mad-hatters”?


We are but leaves and twigs of the ground 

Awaiting nature’s beckoning sounds





Ivor Steven (c) Sept 2021

Home is the Air I Breathe,

Published at Free Verse Revolution Magazine, Issue III, ‘hestia’

Again, many thanks to the editor Kristiana for accepting my poems, and for all her hard work in producing this beautiful anthology. The publication features the work of many talented poets, and I can’t wait to read my copy!
Issue III: hestia (hearth & home) is now available to download!

The digital download is completely free but if you wish to donate/pay as you feel, you can do so through the Donate tab.

Issue III: hestia (hearth & home) explores what home means to us all through poetry, prose, photography & artwork. Contributors reveal how it feels to belong, how we are defined by people and places and how Hestia’s legacy lives on.

Below, Home is the Air I Breathe, is the 2nd of my two contributions to this fabulous magazine




Home Is the Air I Breathe


welcome to our home

the house of rustic timber and stone

home is where my heart is now

and now I live here alone

but I am comfortable

wearing the same old shoes

walking her every mile

she’s in every corner stone

she’s in the marrow of my bones

we share the air I breathe

inhaling her gracious spirit

capturing her living essence

absorbing her love into my blood

pumping through my empty veins

cascading upon my open heart

caressing my solitary core

embracing our souls as one





Ivor Steven (c) Sept 2021

Promote Yourself Mondays, September 27, 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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Leona's avatarGo Dog Go Café

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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‘Between the Lines’, Published at Free Verse Revolution Magazine, Issue III, ‘hestia’

Many thanks to editor Kristiana for accepting my poem, and for all her hard work in producing this beautiful publication. The publication features the work of many talented poets, and I can’t wait to read my copy!

Issue III: hestia (hearth & home) is now available to download!

The digital download is completely free but if you wish to donate/pay as you feel, you can do so through the Donate tab.

Issue III: hestia (hearth & home) explores what home means to us all through poetry, prose, photography & artwork. Contributors reveal how it feels to belong, how we are defined by people and places and how Hestia’s legacy lives on.

Below, Between The Lines is one of my two contributions to this fabulous magazine




Between the Lines


Do you see, a man walking on water?

Did you see, the refugees bleeding?

Do you read, the missing scriptures?

Did you read, your own family tree?

Do you hear, old angels singing?

Did you hear, the songbirds crying?

Do you feel, the erased eons calling?

Did you feel, the hard rains falling?

Do you know, who is doing the lying?

Did you know, the earth is dying?


List of Contributors: Ken Anderson, Jaya Avendel, Jude Ballard, Enrico Barigazzi, Corrina Board, Constance Bourg, Karan Chambers, Emma Conally-Barklem, Rachel Dickens, Caitlan Docherty, Brianna Flood, Karen E. Fraser, Devereaux Frazier, Rebecca Green, Morgan Hayes, Kevin Hüttenmüller, Laura Jameson, Nameera Anjum Khan, Lamarriv, Richard LeDue, Barbara Leonhard, Lorraine Lewis, Liyona, Dee Li, Charles T. Low, Sarah Beck Mather, Marisela Brazfield, Jennifer McLamb, Emily Mew, Gabriela Marie Milton, Ellie Morfou, Soph Murray, Vanessa Napolitano, Jonathan O’Farrell, Lisa Perkins, T. S. Priest, Victoria Punch, Sunra Rainz, Kristiana Reed, Poppy Revell, Rebecca Rijsdijk, Faye Alexandra Rose, Jasleen Saini, Lara Simpson, Sebastian Nguyet Snow, Ivor Steven, Diana Story, Greta Unetich, Aleksandra Vujisic, Lynn White, Robin Williams, Ingrid Wilson, Howard Young & Lori Zybala.







Ivor Steven (c) Sept 2021

Throwback Friday, In My Time, by Ivor Steven

The reblog button didn’t work for me tonight, on my “Go Dog Go Cafe” site, so here is my article via ‘copy & paste’… you may visit Go Dog Go Cafe by clicking on this link
>> http://godoggocafe.com/2021/09/24/throwback-friday-in-my-time-by-ivor-steven/

My nostalgic poem today is a piece I wrote in May 2018



In My Time


In my time

trees I did climb

played hide and seek

always had a peak

went to the park

’til after dark

built my own fort

enjoyed my sport

daydreamt in class

smart enough to pass

nicked my brothers shoes

teased my sister too

life was a pantomime

In my time





Ivor Steven (c) May 2018

Where to Now?

Eugi’s Weekly Prompt – “Connector” – September 23, 2021, click on the link to visit her fabulous site . >> https://amanpan.com/2021/09/23/eugis-weekly-prompt-connector-sept-23-2021/




Where to Now?


Where do they hide? 

When the sea is at full-tide


What lays beyond the sand?

In foreign hands on distant lands 


Their long windy road is untraveled 

With trials of fear yet to be unravelled





Ivor Steven (c) Sept 2021