Goodbye Yorkie, Hello Phillie

Goodbye Yorkie, Hello Phillie

 

Today I returned Yorkie to his owner

He’s been here for fifteen months

And what an interesting time we weathered

Here on guard, under my verandah

 

He’s seen all of my downs and ups

Helping  with those unsteady recovery steps

Nursing my body through the hurtful setbacks

And assisting this damaged mind to stay focused

 

Yesterday, was our last exercise session together

I shall miss our silent conversations

Daily, I would be chatting away to him

And stoically he stood, quietly listening

 

But as the saying goes

Out with the old and in with the new

I’ve been kindly donated a replacement for Yorkie

“She” will be on my verandah tomorrow

In time for my Philadelphia cousin’s visit next month

And I think I’ll name her “Phillie”

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  March 2020

Promote Yourself Monday, March 9, 2020 and Round UP, March 2, 2020

Dear readers and followers, 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…..

fullbeardlit's avatarGo Dog Go Café

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.

Many apologies for the confusion last week, I crossed my wires forgetting there was a previously scheduled post and created a new one. But that didn’t stop us from having another great week. Between the two posts we had over 60 likes and 180 comments and an amazing !39! shares. In the confusion did cause me to miss a whole bunch of writers, my humblest apologies as I do try to get to every post over the course of the day. So if I…

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Jingle Jangle for My Easter Bonnet

This Saturday the Weekly Prompts challenge is: HATS. Please go over and visit “Weekly Prompts” fabulous site by clicking >>HERE ... And my poem here, is scrappy piece, about my attempt to go on an Easter trip…. 

 

Jingle Jangle for My Easter Bonnet

 

My notebook’s running on empty

There’s pages of invisible words

And blue lines are leaping forward

Leaving my empty threads behind

 

I’ve empty pockets

Lined with holey socks

And my empire’s purse

Is loosely tied to my Easter bonnet

 

How am I going to fly?

Without costly wings

I’ve not even a jingle jangle

Of silver change

 

And my dream’s destination

Now seems out of range

But I don’t need to travel too far

To reach my Easter bar

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  March 2020

 

Throwback Friday, Mystic Man, by Ivor Steven

Here’s my Throwback Friday poem on ‘Go Dog Go Cafe’… come and visit this fabulous site ‘anytime’….. a writers site, for writers to meet other writers

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2018-11-25-18-10-58 (2)

Sixteen months ago, I was in hospital, and the specialists were not sure what was wrong with me, so I was place in a ‘Isolation/quarantine’ room for 2 weeks, and I have been reminded of that incarceration, by the present ‘Coronavirus outbreak, and I am reflecting on my time in that situation, and of being separated from the outside world….. During this isolation, I wrote a number of poems, and “Mystic Man” is one of those writings….. a mysterious poem, and obviously, in my mind I was desperately planning my ‘escape’……my imagination was running a fever…..

Mystic Man

I’m digging a tunnel

With my ball and chain

Underneath the great wall

Towards the east side of the moon

Away from these wasted days

Beyond the drain of pain

My eyes search for a light

Through my grotto’s ceiling crack

Resolutely my heart yells at me

“There’s no turning back”

Fingers…

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The River Knows – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

This poem by Ali Grimshaw is my first read for the day…..and what an awe-inspiring read….. your lazy bones will rattle, and you’re sleepy senses will be awakened…..so go and follow your day…

Ali Grimshaw's avatarflashlight batteries - Ali Grimshaw

“I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
– John Muir

In slowing my pace to lightly step
I saw the power of the hummingbird
defeating the odds again
to fly, even though science says it shouldn’t be able.

I leaned on the elder tree that stood through hurricanes.
Touched sprouts forcing through cracked concrete.
Studied a cactus with magenta bloom
in the desperate dry landscape.

Outside I found my mentors.

Along singing creek waters, trails of bright birdsong
and pausing in cliffside meadows where the ocean roars.

I heard the strength of the outside.

The river knows where it is going
and I will follow it.

© Alicia Grimshaw 2020

photo by antilandscpaper 2-26-20

Hummingbirds have been baffling scientists for years. Matt Ransford commented, “The hummingbird is an animal that by all rights shouldn’t be able to…

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Living On a Wooden Bridge

 

Today’s poem is a rewrite of a piece original called “Living On a Knife Edge”. This poem was one of two, that I submitted to be published, but the other poem was accepted ahead of this piece, and so readers I’m posting this rewritten poem for you to peruse today…..

 

Living On a Wooden Bridge

 

Fire, fire, there’s raging fires

I need help to stamp out the flames

Burning down this old timber bridge

A traveler’s last causeway to the edge

Carrying today’s harsh realities

Spanning a lifetime dreams and fantasies

 

Rain, rain, there’s a Noah’s flood

I need help to stop the cascading suds

Fill the sandbags with riverbed mud

Smother the leakages with woolly rugs

Ring out the qualms and doubts

And refuse doctor’s drugs and handouts

 

Warning, warning, outside there’s a heatwave

I need help to see through the dusty haze

Douse the fiery furnace tonight

Close the doors, the fireflies are alight

Open your eyes, and view the glowing sights

And cross the bridge into life’s future delights

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  March 2020

PDF Release of True Love, Spring 2020 Issue 16

Red Wolf Journal’s Spring Issue 2020, is now out, (including my poem Strings) and there’s a PDF link available for you to download, and the anthology “True Love” is a truly a wonderful read….

Irene's avatarRed Wolf Journal

true love issue 16

We are pleased to announce the release of the Spring 2020 Issue.

The poets with work in the True Love edition are:

Paula Bonnell
Jeff Burt
William Conelly
Joe Cottonwood
Judy DeCroce & Antoni Ooto
Ivo Drury
Edilson Ferreira
John Grey
Randel McCraw Helms
Christopher Hileman
J.I. Kleinberg
Kathleen Latham
Ron. Lavalette
Michael J Leach
Marie C Lecrivain
LindaAnn LoSchiavo
Karla Linn Merrifield
Barbara A Meier
Misky
Joseph Murphy
Nils Peterson
Diana Raab
Ivor Steven
Debi Swim
Mark Tulin
Alan Toltzis
Alan Walowitz

You may download a copy of the PDF release here.

True Love Spring 2020 Issue 16

You’re invited to submit to our new issue, titled Journeying. Read submission guidelines here. You may also find us over at the other site at Red Wolf Editions. Happy writing!

Irene Toh
Editor
Spring 2020

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