Feature Image: Please note that my copy of the Geelong Writers Inc. Anthology 2024 was signed by the editor, Judy Rankin, and Judy is also the publisher/editor of my 3 books, Tullawalla, Perceptions, and Until Eyes Hear Sound.
A New Anthology (a Tanka)
Through rain, hail, or shine
I am the messenger bird
I’ve important news
About the Anthology
Don’t let the wires clip my wings
And here is my poem from the Geelong Writers Inc. Anthology
Ivor Steven (c) May 2025
Today’s Throwback Friday poem is an odd collection of anecdotes from my hospital bed, written in December 2018. After I had just suffered a ‘minor’ stroke, and these were the jumbled thoughts that were tumbling out of my tired and confused mind …
Odds and Sods, Spots and Blots
Lazy Bones
Cordless phones
Garden gnomes
Overhead drones
Windowless homes
Creaks and moans
Lazy bones
Pain
Pain is like the rain
It comes and goes
Heavy and light
A Lie
It’s a lie that I don’t cry
It’s a lie that I passed you by
It’s a lie that I never tried
It’s a lie that I’ll never die
Mirror
Mirror, mirror, on the wall
You showed me how to stand tall
Again, it’s time for your call
Judge
I’m neither a judge
Nor a dealer in sludge
I’d rather eat some fudge
And give my side of life a nudge
Even Though
Love is all above thee
Love is a blanket of autumn leaves
Love showers us with glee
Love is everywhere, to feel and see
Ivor Stven May 2025
Autumn’s Dry White Clouds
There is a cold, lonely wind blowing
Through the whispering tree tops
And here below the heavy blue sky
I am leaning like a knave bowing
Meanwhile
I see Autumn’s dry white clouds
Quietly drift away without waving goodbye
Mystified, I am wondering why
This season has been so dry
.
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 © May 2025
In response to Eugi’s Moonlighted Musings Prompt
>> https://amanpan.com/2025/05/27/moonwashed-weekly-prompt-may-27-2025/
a simple flower
summons smiles
calming of the day
Let one or more words in my poem be your inspiration.
Prompt contributions can be any variation of the prompt and/or image.
Today’s short verse was originally written as a poetic comment to Sadje’s lovely poem >> When leaves become words – Keep it alive
Nature’s Seeds
May the world’s greed turn into earthly seeds
Nature’s flower seeds, wheat seeds, and tree seeds
And proceed to feed all those in need
Ivor Steven (c) May 2027
Hello, dear readers and followers. I write for Coffee House Writers magazine (USA) fortnightly, and my poem “Dusty Photos” is in this week’s edition. …
To read the poem, please click the link below to visit my Coffee House Writers Magazine article.
>> https://coffeehousewriters.com/dusty-photos/
.
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 © May 2025
Flying Away
A swift little fantail, or flashy wattlebird
A trusty magpie, or even a hardy crow
I’m not overly fussy or bossy
Actually, Air New Zealand
Was my preferred choice
Four hours to Auckland
Thirteen hours to Vancouver
Then a short trip to the Island’s
Victoria Airport
My hometown, Geelong
Is in the State of Victoria (Australia)
And here I am flying to Canada
Then, finishing up in Victoria
.
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 © May 2025
A Crazy Phase
This morning I had a dream.
About flying north toward the sun
and travelling beyond the Rocky Mountains, trees
On my way there,
I dropped in to say hello to the moon
And I asked the moon.
“How do you cope when waning
to that crescent shape?”
The moon smiled and wryly replied
“Do not worry, my friend.
It’s a crazy phase I’m going through.”
Amble – The Boy Who Flew Away
Lyrics:
I’m standing staring at my feet
I can feel the eyes on me
Is that the boy who flew away
I wonder, is he free
I wonder, is he free
One will courage a handshake and smile
And say ‘oh boy, it’s been a while’
Cheeks will turn, my ears will burn
I’ll say ‘oh boy, it’s been a while’
Maybe flying was never my plan
To leave and return an older man
Have you ever thought
You pushed me away
I’m home now, with no place to stay
I’m home now, with no place to stay
Luke talks about lost and found
Maybe he meant found and lost
On Sunday eve, we’ll kill a calf
And deal with the family frost
And deal with the family frost
Luck will fall and ice will thaw
For the boy who drew the long straw
Bridges mend, and time is your friend
And home now will be Lán le Grá
And home now will be Lán le Grá
Maybe flying was never my plan
To leave and return and older man
Have you ever thought
You pushed me away
I’m home now, with no place to stay
I’m home now, with no place to stay
I’m standing staring at my feet
I can feel the eyes on me
I’m the boy who flew away
The boy who’s longer free
Ivor Steven (c) May 2025
Today’s Throwback Friday Poem is from July 2020, during the middle of the ‘Covid Era’, but I think my words could now be applied to the ‘Trump Era’
What Is Normal, My Son?
Breakfast and a hot cuppa
Under my cosy verandah
As per normal, if it’s not too chilly
And I’m having my normal courtyard chat
With my friends, Phillip the penguin
And the wise old owl, Oscar
We’re talking about the future
Whether life will ever be normal again
Oscar quietly hoots
“What is normal, my son?”
Little Phillip chirped in
“Normal is a state of mind
A comfort zone in time
Like swimming in the deep blue sea every day.”
Oscar agreed with Phillip
“Normal’s been perched in the same tree every night.”
Oscar and Phillip grinned and nodded at each other
And I listened and pondered
Smiling at my two furry companions
I added, “Our old normal won’t be normal anymore.”
Oscar’s brows lowered, and he said
“As per normal these days
We shall patiently try to adapt, then wait and see
What colour will the new normal turn out to be
Black, white, or green like the trees
Maybe the striped yellow of our life-giving bees”
Ivor Steven (c) May 2025
gentle eye perceives
melodies of ideal worlds
through a magic lens
Moonwashed Musings >> https://amanpan.com/2025/05/20/moonwashed-weekly-prompt-may-20-2025/
“Let one or more words in my poem be your inspiration.
Prompt contributions can be any variation of the prompt and/or image.“
Close Up and Personal (a Tanka)
Through the magic lens
Of my iPhone camera
I get to observe
My world’s colourful sunsets
Right close up and personal
Ivor Steven (c) May 2025
Today’s poem is one of my verses made up of comments I posted on two of my fellow WordPress writers’ articles during the month … In stanza order, they are:
*Stanzas I & 2, Yelling Rosa >> https://yerosacom.wordpress.com/2025/05/01/about-the-death-e-morte/
*Stazas 3 & 4, Sara >> https://purplepeninportland.com/2025/05/01/i-wish-a-dream/
What’s Out There?
Out there, beyond the cosmic frost
I think we all would be lost
And the scientists have their stars crossed
The universe cannot be bossed,
over glossed, or embossed
By “AI” and Microsoft
I raise my flask
To solving the task
Maybe it’s too much to ask
Of those that quietly bask
From behind their cozy masks
Ivor Steven (c) May 2025
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 