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!
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 ofContributors: 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.
A big thank you to Editor Irene Toh for including my poems Cascading Snowflakes and Time Strolls, they were up yesterday, among some great poems by many wonderful writers, in Issue 19 of Red Wolf Journal, an anthologized PDF selection of pieces addressing a “My Dream Of You” theme.
Cascading Snowflakes and Time Strolls were originally published at RWJ earlier in the year, in their almost-daily journal, surrounded by many other fine works, so I’m thrilled and very honored to have been selected for the anthology.
And today I shall present “Cascading Snowflakes”
Red Wolf Journal Issue 19 – Fall 2021 My Dream Of You
A morning blizzard of hailstones Smothers my old frozen bones Polarized, I am shivering head to spine Chilling my chasms of hard lines
Daily coldness unwrapping Mid-morning thawing, eventually happening Melting, my eternal iceberg breaks Into an avalanche of cascading snowflakes
Covering me in a white blanket of crystal firestones Gradually warming my lonesome bones Turning my purple blood into glowing red Clearing heavy fogginess from my head
Ivor Steven was formerly an Industrial Chemist, then a Plumber, and has been writing poetry for 19 years. His book “Tullawalla” was recently published. He has had numerous poems published in anthologies, and on-line magazines. He is an active member of the Geelong Writers Inc.(Australia), and is a team member/barista with the on-line magazine “Go Dog Go Cafe” (America)
I am thrilled to announce the publication of my poem ‘Who Hears Me’ at Spillwords Press today, and would like to thank the team at Spillwords for their continued support of my poems. Please go and visit their fabulous magazine, by clicking on this link >> https://spillwords.com/who-hears-me/ and maybe click-on the like button 🤍 for me.
WHO HEARS ME
My ears are funnels But I do not want to hear The voices
My lips do part But I do not speak The words
My knees do bend But I cannot sit While I can still stand
My eyes are open But I do not want to see My shadow falling
The results are in! Judge Nick Reeves, had a hard job arriving at his decision. But decide he did, and so I hand over to Nick to bring you the results of the final EIF Poetry Challenge of 2020: Season’s greetings one and all! It has been an honour (and a challenge!) to be able to judge the 12th EIF Poetry Challenge of 2020. The subject being The Poetry of Childhood. The response has been so overwhelming that picking an overall 1st, 2nd and 3rd place from all of the poems struck me (as the week progressed and my inbox buckled) as an impossible task! The young poets, of whom there were many, who deserve a special mention are as follows…
Rollercoasters go so fast. Around the loop the loop around you go very fast yes very fast. And you go so high like a bird in the sky. Yes yes yes you’re the best fun ride of all!
Rollercoasters is a wonderfully visual, frenetic piece of work that can barely contain its joy and excitement! It sparks with a surprisingly bright energy for such a compact poem. What draws the eye immediately is the skilful wordplay and movement of the second line – Around the loop/the loop around. This skilful play is continued in the 3rd line where the affirmative ‘yes’ is balanced at the centre of the blurring and repeated ‘very fast’! Quite dizzying!
‘Sprinkle and Twinkle’ by Mason, 8 years old
Santa’s almost ready…
Sprinkle and Twinkle Glitter and Gold On Christmas Eve I’m not going to get cold. On Christmas day I’m going to rush down So lively and quick Hoping for presents from St. Nick.
Such immediacy again! I have particularly enjoyed the entries from our younger writers this challenge. Sprinkle and Twinkle is a visual poem of place and sensation. It also captures, quite brilliantly, the notion of the passage of time – in itself a very tricky concept to write about. It is a piece that balances the excitement and anticipation of Christmas Eve/ Christmas Day at home. The youthfulness shines through in almost every line and the reader cannot help but be drawn into the excitement
‘I’m going to rush down So lively and quick’
I adore the hope evoked in this lovely little poem. Congratulations! Do keep writing! And I hope that Saint Nick delivers!
The fire burns with a bright light In the darkest of nights, the stars shine I open my heart, unveil it with care Everything falls into place, layer by layer Christmas is in the air! I realize, being happy is not too hard As a feeling of joy tingles my heart.
My favorite thing about Christmas? The joy, the vibe, the sense of being alive A merry cheer from someone near A smile from the homeless man sitting by the canal Looking at me with sparkling eyes Are just enough to make my heart smile.
The way my family gets together Making pacts, sticking by one another forever Inhaling the aroma of freshly brewed love Experiencing the warmth of humanity, it holds my heart like a glove. Protecting me from the harsh world, Keeping me safe when I feel lost and alone.
Give without sparing, love without hating Hug without withholding, dance without over-thinking Open your heart, fill it with love There’s darkness, but you are the light that can shine like the sun.
The third piece of work in the young poets section that deserves a special credit is Christmas is in the air (Winter Wonders : Joy). It is surprising and a delight. Immediately, the reader senses the rapid advance of the years (though there is only 5 years difference between this and the earlier selected winning poems). Here we find a young poet pushing against the boundaries of childhood into a mature and thoughtful arena: and triumphs! It is a longer form free-verse piece that succeeds in addressing both childlike and adult qualities. Indeed, there is something old and wise (Dickensian?) in the opening lines that set the scene wonderfully –
The streets are quiet, the weather is cold There’s a tale in my heart, waiting to be told. The fire burns with a bright light
There is a maturity tempered with youthfulness at work/play here in lines such as –
‘The joy, the vibe, the sense of being alive’
and –
‘Hug without withholding, dance without over-thinking’
that I find to be very telling of a young mind discovering its poetic skills: the subtle wordplay, the extended metaphors (‘I open my heart, unveil it with care/Everything falls into place, layer by layer’) and the awareness of those less fortunate. This is an excellent piece of work and I hope to see more from this poet – as I hope to from the writers of Rollercoasters and Sprinkle and Twinkle and, indeed, everyone of our young writers who took up this EIF challenge! Many, many thanks and please, keep writing!
***
The ‘adult’ section again brought its own difficulties and I realised that my decisions could only be subjective. Bearing this in mind here are my favourite entries…
Ho Ho, there is a child in me splashing in the cool summer sea dreaming of distant alpine trees fluttering like a pretty butterfly in the breeze laughing under moss covered circus marquees and there is that day I sat on Santa’s knee asking for my red-head to be set free wishing her a life of peace and tranquility
2nd Place: ‘Incomplete memories of childhood’ by Valdis Stakle
Lost memories of my early childhood Are far now from being too clear Wanderings as though through a wild wood blinking back many a tear
Then waking up soon with the sunrise A morning so brave and so bold I gazed slowly upon those bright skies And watched as the day did unfold
I remember some scrapes in the back yard Wild flowers beside a brick wall I fell on some stones they were too hard I picked myself up from my fall
i remember a dog that scared me Almost it seemed near to death I stared and felt helpless and lonely I struggled with shortness of breath
I screamed and I cried But the dog didn’t bite Then I ran back inside And shivered with fright
That’s all that I fear I have left Of the first few years of my life Alone now and feeling bereft Of a time filled with joy and with strife
The streets are quiet, the weather is cold There’s a tale in my heart, waiting to be told.
When was the last time You heard children Singing in Latin,
Every note clear and sweet, Every vowel in its proper place,
Your gaze transfixed By the unwavering flame Of brass-tipped beeswax?
If you ever again Hear children Singing in Latin,
Will you dare Turn around To see their faces?
What chimed with this piece is the sense of ‘looking back’ and so, ‘returning’ to childhood. It is a skilful and considered poem that evokes the past (Latin!), tradition (the service) without being melancholy. I admire the stillness and the final dare. Bravo!
Wishing you all a magical Christmas!
Once again, many thanks to everyone who got involved. And much love to Ingrid from Experiments In Fiction for her extraordinary effort this year!
I’m thrilled to announce that my poem “It’s Time”, has been published by ‘Spillwords Press’ today, and thank you to the editor in chief, Dagmara for supporting my work. You can read my poem by clicking >> Here
Hello dear readers, I’m taking a much needed rest and recharge break from writing….. and today I’m presenting this older poem… as a wintry blast rattled my door last night
Today’s poem is one I wrote three years ago, and I was fortunate enough to have the piece published by, ‘Vita Brevis Poetry Magazine’, back in January 2018, a literary magazine for poets, and to all my readers/followers, I sincerely recommend that you visit/follow the Vita Brevis site, https://vitabrevisliterature.com.
Artwork: By Kerri Costello, Graphic Design Artist, my beautiful niece/second cousin, who lives in Philadelphia, she’s so very talented, and a very special person in my life, thank you Kerri.
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Ivor.Plumber/Poet 