A moment in the fading light, where shadows reveal more than they hide.
Peripheral Blindness
The Twilight Zone cracks
are opening wider —
the dullness is growing darker.
Our blindness shadows
fall sharper,
and we are quickly losing sight
of what once made us smarter.
Ivor Steven © March 2026
The World’s Spiritual Watchtower
I’m fused to this planet,
and my synthetic walking shoes
are wearing thin on the granite.
I’m confused and sadly bemused
by humanity’s wayward news.
I gaze up at our radiant sun
and wonder about the solar power
that goes unused by the tonne.
I see birds cruising on the wind
angling their wings
toward the sun’s golden rind,
as if spellbound
by the mystical rising.
A glowing, cosmic sunflower
quietly expanding outwards
and shining upwards
to become the world’s
spiritual watchtower
A watchtower of sound to meet the poem’s rising light
Ivor Steven © March 2026
Photos From Our Time in Booktown.
Friday afternoon
Was set‑up time for both the Bookstall Vendors and the Food Vendors — a quiet buzz of preparation before the weekend unfolded.
Saturday:
Was all about settling in and getting to know our fellow book vendors in Marquee T — Robert, Janette, Suzanne & Karen, Collin, and Lynette.
Although officially “T”, we were affectionately nicknamed the Zombie Marquee, thanks to Robert’s eye‑catching banner at the entrance.
Of course, my assistant salesman was the true star attraction of my bookstall.
Down at ground level, under the tables, Frankie and the little girl next door — tucked beneath her dad’s table of books — became fast friends.
Every now and then, we wandered through the festival to soak up the wonderful carnival atmosphere.
There was dancing in the streets, violin music drifting from a balcony, giant book readers roaming about, and even Larry the Lizard slithered into our tent to say hello.
Sunday brought another magical day of sunshine, stories, and festival energy.
If you have Facebook, hopefully the link below will open for you:
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After a magical weekend in Booktown, the wagon rolls home with tired feet and happy hearts.
And as the last notes fade, we carry Booktown home with us — tired feet, full hearts, and memories that will linger long after the carnival is over.
Ivor Steven © March 2026
A lone bird soars above the morning mist — echoing the clarity of my hilltop poem and the emotional lift of “Letters From The Sky.
Pearls from the sky, my courtyard flowers …
A sky scattered with quiet treasures, waiting for the morning to find them
The Sky’s Pearls
Life is uncomplicated
On my elevated hilltop;
Here, the air I breathe is untainted.
My courtyard’s world
Grows high above the town,
Yet I never look down
Nor frown on the town’s ground.
Instead, I gaze up at the sky’s pearls,
Where starry swirls and twirls,
Majestically unfurl.
Ivor Steven © March 2026
A lucky snapshot: a bird crossing an invisible line between sun and sky, caught in the quiet shimmer of possibility.
From Beyond Nowhere
Below the invisible line,
Between the sun and time,
It is impossible to know
That what we perceive
Are the stars’ definitive stare,
Or, whether the outer glow
Is the universe’s cosmic snow
From beyond nowhere.
Ivor Steven © March 2026
Featured Image Above: Where the sky opens, freedom rises first
Freedom Without Gasoline
Yes, I must go
Beyond the world’s mist and snow
Flying above the trees
Is nature’s gift to me
Removed from the maddening crowd
Here, freedom is proud, unbowed
And the air is almost clean
Except for the smell of gasoline
A song for the quiet courage of taking flight
Ivor Steven © March 2026
This Tanka was inspired by a moment of stillness and lift — a bird rising into the blue, catching the wind as if it knew exactly where it needed to go. It’s a small meditation on movement, uncertainty, and the quiet hope that carries us toward calmer places.
To Catch the Wind (a Tanka)
Let me catch the wind,
blowing toward the unknown,
where silver seeds grow
into peaceful olive trees.
beyond the world’s toxic snow.
Ivor Steven © March 2026
All the Essentials are packed
Clunes, here we come!
The Clunes Booktown Festival, one of Australia’s largest and most-loved literary gatherings, celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year. I’ll be there this weekend, March 21st and 22nd, set up in one of the bustling Book Trader Marquees (Fraser St, Marquee “T”) with Frankie beside me, proudly taking on his role as assistant salesman and crowd‑greeter. With the days full of books, conversations, and festival buzz, I won’t be blogging much over the weekend — but once we’re back home and the dust has settled, I’ll share a few stories and photos from our time in Booktown.
As always, it should be a wonderful weekend in Booktown, and I’m looking forward to sharing a few highlights once Frankie and I return.
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend — and if you’re heading to Clunes, do stop by and say hello.
Ivor Steven © March 2026
In a world scarred by mines, machines, and careless extraction, the sky remains a refuge for those who choose to protect rather than exploit. These Black Knights rise through that open air as nature’s quiet defenders, calling us to join their watch.
Black Knights
We are nature’s Black Knights,
guardians of the planet’s salvage rights.
Watch us soar into the light
There above the earth’s trees,
where the atmosphere is free,
beyond the Daleks of mankind’s
dreadful coalmines and destructive landmines.
“
Now is the time to become a member
of our sky’s peaceful nerve centre.
We welcome all monitors, menders,
clever inventors, and recycled pretenders.
Ivor Steven © March 2026
Mystique Surrounds Me
Twilight ignites its shadowed secrets.
Do I fly into the mystique,
where clouds burn like prophecy,
and my wings are ashes of desire?
Will these old, singed feathers
still lift me from this wartorn land—
or must I wait here forever
grounded by this inferno’s demands
“Where light fractures, the will to rise endures.“
Ivor Steven © March 2026
