We Are Sour, But We Have the Power

Out of the blue ocean, into the black sea

We still appear wet behind our ears

And still burning bridges made out of ancient trees

Repeating the same old questions, while wearing our masks of tears

 

What about looking at nature’s dragonflies and bees?

How do they live in harmony without the fears?

We are the carriers of this corrupt disease

Ignoring our racist problems for too many years

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  June 2020

Below, the lyrics to “Nina Cried Power” by Hozier, please read and sing along…..

“Nina Cried Power”
(feat. Mavis Staples)

[Hozier:]
It’s not the waking, it’s the rising
It is the grounding of a foot uncompromising
It’s not forgoing of the lie
It’s not the opening of eyes
It’s not the waking, it’s the risingIt’s not the shade, we should be past it
It’s the light, and it’s the obstacle that casts it
It’s the heat that drives the light
It’s the fire it ignites
It’s not the waking, it’s the rising

It’s not the song, it is the singing
It’s the heaven of a human spirit ringing
It is the bringing of the line
It is the bearing of the rhyme
It’s not the waking, it’s the rising

[Hozier & Mavis Staples:]
And I could cry power (Power), power (Power)
Power, Lord
Nina cried power
Billie cried power
Mavis cried power
And I could cry (Power) power, (Power) power
Hey, power
Curtis cried power
Patti cried power
Nina cried power

[Hozier:]
It’s not the wall, but what’s behind it
Oh, the fear of fellow man, it’s mere assignment
And everything that we’re denied
By keeping the divide
It’s not the waking, it’s the rising

[Hozier & Mavis Staples:]
And I could cry power (Power), power (Power)
Oh, power
Nina cried power
Lennon cried power
James Brown cried power
And I could cry (Power) power, (Power) power
Hey, power
B.B. cried power
Joni cried power
Nina cried power

[Mavis Staples:]
And I could cry power
Power has been cried by those stronger than me
Straight into the face that tells you
To rattle your chains if you love being free

[Hozier & Mavis Staples:]
But I could cry power (Power)
‘Cause power is my love when my love reaches to me
James Brown cried power
Seeger cried power
Marvin cried power
Yeah ah, power
James cried power
Lennon cried power
Patti cried power
Billie, power
Dylan, power
Woody, power
Nina cried power

Under Pressure

Here I’ve written a Haiku Trio, a poem consisting of three haiku stanzas

*Please note, the above photos, are scanned images, from the book in my personal library, called “Close To Nature”, by John Landy

 

Under Pressure

 

Bitter is the clown

A broken pepper stays down

Anger’s every town

 

Flames leap all around

Burning bridges to the ground

Hatred is the sound

 

High above the clouds

Songs echo under pressure

Screaming for new air

 

 

Ivor Steven (c) June 2020.

Throwback Friday, My Rainbow, by Ivor Steven

My old poem “My Rainbow”, is up at Throwback Friday, on “Go Dog Go Cafe’.”..

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Every time I see a rainbow, I see reflections of colours and life beyond the sky.

My Rainbow

Over mountains, over a distant sky

Blazing hues of African butterflies

Fluttering reflections of our last goodbyes

Did you see my yesterday rainbow

She’s ruby red, yellow and blue

The heavenly ring, in everyone’s view

Above you, a perfect archway

Behind you, a forever shining sun-ray

Around you, a golden halo everyday

Ivor Steven (c)  March 2019

G’day, and welcome to my blog site. My name is Ivor Steven, I live in Geelong, Australia. I’m an ex-industrial chemist, and a retired plumber, and a former Carer of my wife(Carole), for 30 years, who suffered from severe MS. I Write poetry about those personal thoughts, throughout and beyond my life as a Carer. I’ve been blogging for over 2 years, and writing poems for 19 years. Of course a lot of my poems…

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Beneath The Shadows

 

At “Go Dog Go Cafe”, Tuesday Writing Prompt Challenge: Tuesday, June 2, 2020, Today’s prompt: Write a piece of prose or poetry around the phrase: “on our knees”

 

Beneath The Shadows

 

We bow before you, Lord of Trees

On our knees, we beg for the bees

Please, do not cast your shadows too deep

Enable the sun to warm our plants feet

And let their flowers thrive in the breeze

So the busy bees can pollinate our seeds

 

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  June 2020

Who’s The Saddest

.

My smokey eyes have been faltering

Sad necessary tears have me wavering

Looking down the knife-edges

Balancing on red cliff-edges

.

How will the fog of darkness be lifted?

From angry souls that have drifted

Mirror, mirror, who’s the saddest

Mirror, mirror, where is forgiveness

.

The heart-breakers came around

Killing a black-rose on the ground

Deep down we all feel hollow

And none can see the peace-smoke halo

.

.

Ivor Steven (c) June 2020

We Sing, and We Sing

Is there a song?

Between who is sad, and who is wrong

Beyond this prolonged swan song

 

How long, is too long?

Along these throngs of torch songs

Headstrong, and head-on

 

We know their theme song

We are all in the wrong

Oh. We, are the wrong

 

Listen to the birdsong

Listen to her lifelong song

Listen to nature humming along

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  May 2020.

“We, The Drowned”, Lyrics by Lisa Hannigan

We, the drowned
Hold our hollow hearted ground
Til we swallow ourselves down
AgainWe, the ashes,
We spend our days like matches
And burned ourselves as black as
The end.

 

We know not the fire in which we burn
But we sing and we sing
And the flames grow higher.
We read not the pages which we turn
But we sing, and we sing, and we sing, and we sing

We, the wrong,
We the sewn up and long gone,
Were before and all along
Like this

We, the drowned
The lost and found out,
We are all finished again.

Promote Yourself Monday, June 1, 2020

Dear readers and followers, I hope you are safe and well,…. 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…..

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Promote yourself Mon

Welcome to Promote Yourself Monday.  All Go Dog Go Cafe community members are invited to post one link 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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Obsidian Eyes

The Weekend Challenge, and the monthly colour challenge for JUNE, “Weekly Prompts” have chosen the colour Obsidian. Please visit their fabulous site by clicking >> Here…. and below is my response to the prompt…

 

Obsidian Eyes

 

Humans are in an anxious whirl

Unaware of nature’s harmonious world

 

Volcanic flames light up the skies

The blazing eclipse darkens angry eyes

 

Lava’s flowing as obsidian rivers

Black glass groans and shivers

Cold black-ice slips and slides

In a chasm of great white walls, either side

 

Sheer ugly mirrors of darkness

Reflecting societies obsidian blindness

Unfathomable statues arise

Like hives of frenetic fireflies

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  May 2020