Shangri La, Volume 15. Life, Beyond the Lines

The title of my new booklet, “Life, Beyond the Lines”, is ironically quite relevant, considering my ‘computer’ problems during the last two months, and it’s almost a miracle that I have been able to produce this ‘Shangri La Booklet.’

FREE PDF COPY >>> Links Below

Hello, dear readers and followers. As you may know, I stopped producing my “Tullawalla Booklets” at #31 because that was the house number of our family’s Tullawalla Homestead.
However, the booklet format is a superb way for me to catalogue the vast number of poems I produce, and as the saying goes, “I Am Turning Another Page”. Here I have begun a new series of poem booklets, called “Shangri La”, the name of my little Villa, and it is my piece of “earthly paradise, a retreat from the pressures of modern civilization”.
I now have “2060” Poems filed in these booklet formats!!
(On my bookshelf, I have “The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, which contains 1775 poems … when I first started writing poems, I never envisaged that I would produce so many poems)

Click on >> Here, for the link to your FREE: PDF Copy of “Shangri La, Volume 15, Life, Beyond the Lines”

OR … Shangri La. Vol 15, Life, Beyond the Lines.pdf



Life, Beyond the Lines


Life’s a continual battle
but the battle lines
are there to be crossed

Life’s wondrous museum
inspires me to keep exploring
the universe’s grand Colosseum





Ivor Steven (c) August 2023

Throwback Friday, The Moon and a Cocoon


Today’s Throwback Friday poem is from May 2025, and to coincide with my upcoming trip to Canada, I altered the last 3 lines.



The Moon and a Cocoon (Revised)

 
 
I see you staring down, 
under your blue sky frown, 
as I slowly arise  
from the mossy ground 
and shed my sleeptime disguise. 

Do not worry, Mr. Moon-
I have found your silver spoon, 
and before the next monsoon, 
I will eat my way out 
of this shady cocoon,
untether my hot-air balloon, 
fly across the big, blue lagoon,
and avoid all the high-noon lampoons.




Only 3 weeks and 5 days to before my Canadian adventure begins, so I thought I would post both a Nick Cave and a Beluga Lagoon music/video




Ivor Steven (c) August 2025

Blue Screen Blues


Today’s poem is one of my anecdotes/poetic comments that I posted on a fellow writer’s (Claudia) site yesterday.
Claudia, >> This Generation! – Humoring the Goddess

Please Note: the ‘Blue Screen Error’ problem has been a recurring issue for over 2 months, and has been constantly hindering my ability to manage my website, and subsequently, I have not been able to do much reciprocal ‘blogging’ lately. But finally, today (with fingers crossed), the “Micro Soft Error” has been resolved




Blue Screen Blues



I’m an old Baby Boomer
With a “Blue Screen Computer”
Things were getting gloomier
But despite the vicious rumors
I have kept my sense of humor
And now I’m a roomier consumer






.


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 © July 2025

“I Hear Words”, is in this week’s Coffee House Writers Magazine edition.


Hello, dear readers and followers. I write for Coffee House Writers magazine (USA) fortnightly, and my poem “I Hear Words” is in this week’s edition. …
Please Note: Today’s poem is one of my verses, composed of comments I posted on some of my fellow WordPress writers’ articles during the month. In stanza order, they are.
* Mark, >> NEVER BE HERE – Havoc and Consequence
* Nancy, >> https://theelephantstrunk.org/
* David, >>  W/reck, or: W/reckless – The Skeptic’s Kaddish 🇮🇱
* Eugi, >> https://amanpan.com/2025/07/09/let-the-sunshine-in/
* Paul, >>  The Way – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon | parallax


To read the poem, please click the link below to visit my Coffee House Writers Magazine article.
>> https://coffeehousewriters.com/i-hear-words/






Ivor Steven (c) July 2025

A Fire That Burns in the Cold





A Fire That Burns in the Cold


From behind the trees,
And out of the grasses,
We cannot stop the fire
-That burning desire-
From soaring higher,
Higher than the entire
Starry, starry choir.

So, best we inquire
To the Almighty Supplier:
“Will there be a ceasefire
at the top of your golden spire?”





.


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 © July 2025

Black and Grey (a Tu-aiku)


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 HERE




Black and Grey (a Tu-aiku)

The sky’s black and grey
And the heavy weeping clouds
Know it is their day

Between the raindrops
Cold air makes open eyes cry
And sealed lips turn blue





Ivor Steven (c) July 2025

Beyond Mount Kosciuszko





Beyond Mount Kosciuszko



The timeless winter breeze
Is slowly defrosting me.

Quietly, through the misty silhouettes,
And from behind the fairy bushes,
I shall tentatively spread my wings
To find out if my shadows
Can fly high above the local meadows.

Once I am airborne,
I should be able to see Melbourne,
And from there – who knows how far
My dreams will go?

Beyond Mount Kosciuszko,
Across the Pacific Ocean,
Toward Vancouver and Nanaimo.





Ivor Steven (c) July 2025