Over at Weekly Prompts, it’s the last weekend of the month, and it’s time for the One Day Prompt. To visit their fabulous site, please click on >> Here …
Sailing Back in Time
One day, my mind was sailing
down the river, and daydreaming
about being in a kindergarten.
Back to where time began,
in a colourful garden of fun.
Where nursery rhymes were real,
and friendly fairies lived
in the neighbouring field
Back then, love was homespun
And given freely to everyone
Ivor Steven (c) April 2025
This is Day 6 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures Book Blog Tour:
Kay Castaneda is giving today’s presentation. It features DL Mullan reading her poem “Daybreak.”
Please click on the link below to read Kay’s informative article.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/PT5-SmallPleasures
Daybreak, by DL Mullun
Daybreak
The heavy sky lightens.
Night retreats.
Illustrious topaz hues sharpen until the grand arc
is a cascade of brilliant blue tones.
Cloudless, the sea’s reflection smooths away
any hint of the cosmic shroud.
Behind the rays, stars slumber and planets wait.
Yet, the moon hangs there: tranquil and sheer
an unfinished watercolor, framed.
Never ceases to reveal itself, the satellite balances
the Earth and shifts the tides.
Now, the once opaque sphere fades away; time reaffirms
that this guardian too must conceal her mysteries.
Although the waning gibbous departs, she remains our
silent company throughout the constellations.
Daylight irradiates.
The waking world glows
Ivor Steven (c) April 2025
This is Day 5 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures Book Blog Tour:
Today’s presentation is by Michelle Ayon Navajas. It features Barbara Harris Leonhard reading her poem “Sleeping with Giants.”
Please click on the link below to read Michelle’s excellent article. I assure you that her informative post is well worth reading.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/PT5-SmallPleasures
Ivor Steven (c) April 2025
“Day One” a poem I wrote in April 2022 for ‘Anzac Day’ … Lest We Forget …
Day One
Before Day One
I wished upon a star
That the milk-bar
Was not too far away
My life’s bread was crumbling
My weathered hands were fumbling
Witnessing the Last Supper was humbling
Day One
There, beyond the darkness
Out in the universe
From a million light-years away
Under an alien’s microscopic frame
We would all look the same
After Day One
I wished for the dust to settle
Then waited for rusted gunmetal
To mature into household kettles
Whistling hallelujah to new sunflower petals
This graphic Music/Video by the Pogues “needs no more words”
Ivor Steven (c) April (Anzac Day) 2025
Thirteen years ago today, it was the “Time” that I made a “heart-stopping decision”
Did Your Heart Stop Too?
Did you cry too?
When the doctors told you
She was not going to recover
Did they ask you too?
About what you already knew
It was time
To flick the switch
And dim her light
Did your heart stop, too?
Knowing
You had emptied her shoes
Did you sleep there too?
During those infinite days of blue
Softly holding her hand
And not letting go
Did you weep too?
Blankly alone
In her full room
Waiting
For her last silent breath
.
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 © April 2025
A Lonely Crescent Moon
Today is one of those days
Sitting here, at the city by the bay**
Watching daylight’s grand display
The salt water is pearly and lyrical
The sea air is clean and soothing
The whispering breeze is gentle and cool
The sky is a velvety blue
The hovering clouds are fluffy and white
The sunshine is pure and warm
And my lonely crescent moon
Is expecting me home soon
** City by the Bay, Geelong, Australia, sits on the shores of beautiful Corio Bay, just 73 kilometres southwest of Melbourne.
Ivor Steven © April 2025
No More Sugar and Spice
Under the dry sky’s grey umbrella
I saw a small flock of noisy Corellas
Forlornly fossick for leftover shoots
In between the naked tree roots
And the paddock’s desiccated ground
Sadly, there was no dried-up spice to be found
The drought’s hungry field mice
Had devoured everything nice
.
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 © April 2025
Here is an ‘Easter Poem’ from my archives. This one is from Easter, 2021
How To Eat An Easter Egg
[i] Carefully choose your Bunnies and Eggs
But the “Violet Crumble” box is a MUST
Deliciously smooth and tasty
[ii] Wisely place your purchase in the fridge
Australia always has a hot Easter weekend
And judiciously push the Easter delights towards the back
[iii] Patiently wait until Sunday morning
Stoically obey those traditional procedures
Mine were eaten by Saturday evening. How did you go?
[iv] Delicately unwrap the colourful foil covering
I have diligently preserved the shiny shells since my first egg hunt
Then gently nibble open the pointy end of the exposed Egg
[v] Fiendishly devour the irresistible chocolate
Until you are more than fully satiated
Then voraciously attack the bunny and bite off its ears
WHOOPS !! Surprise, surprise … that rascally easter bunny has
left me some “Eggs” to find on Sunday…
WARNING: This article is posted for Australian audiences, however
‘International’ followers may read the instructions above at their
own RISK !!
Ivor Steven © April 2025
Over at Weekly Prompts, the Weekend Challenge is the word Obsession. To visit their fabulous site, please click on >> Here.
Some people say that I am obsessed with taking photos of the daytime moon … which is probably true, but in my poem today, I am using the ‘moon’ as a metaphor for ‘Easter Sunday’ …
Sunday Shroud
now you see me
now you don’t
I’m as pure as the driven snow
and I covertly nudge my way
through the cumulus clouds
looking for that opening in the sky
where I can display my Sunday Shroud
and dispel that dreaded prophecy
“He does not return”
.
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 © April 2025
Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku, Releasing After Easter
I’m delighted to be part of the ensemble of poets featured in Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku, published by Literary Revelations Publishing House. This beautifully curated collection brings together the voices of over 240 haiku poets from around the world.
The anthology features stunning cover art by renowned Japanese painter Hikari and fine-art photography by acclaimed artist Naoki Kimura. Tranquility will be released soon after Easter—stay tuned!
Blurb:
Following the overwhelming success of «Petals of Haiku,» which captured hearts and souls and became an Amazon bestseller, Literary Revelations Publishing House brings you “Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku.” This new anthology will enchant the readers with its delicate imagery and transitory moments, which inscribe themselves in eternity. Featuring nearly 240 talented authors, each bringing their talent and unique perspectives, Tranquility invites you to immerse yourself in a world where night flowers bloom and whispers linger in the spring air.
Poets are prophets linked to nature. In Tranquility, Haiku is their language. – Gabriela Marie Milton, author, editor, publisher
Here is one of my Haiku from the Tranquility Anthology:
Angel
My tranquillity
Has wings and glides in heaven
Free like an angel
Ivor Steven © April 2025
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 