The Dark Streets

I’ve been listening to The Waterboys songs lately, their lyrics are meaningful and their music is always dramatic. In this following piece of mine I’ve used 18 of their song Titles as the foundation for my poem. To other Waterboys fans who read this post, I hope my words have done The Waterboys the justice they deserve, by all their glorious songs. For those readers, and me, who are struggling with the italics and too many capital letters, below at the bottom of the post, is an easy reading version.

The combined Trumpets of the world are sounding

Being carried on today’s Lonesome Old Wind

Resonating loudly for The Stolen Child

And Choirs are singing The Faery’s Last Song

 

Where did their promise go, and there’s no Sweet Thing in sight

Will the children get to view The Whole Of The Moon again

When will they ever cry out, “This Is The Sea”

Searching for their parents, crying “Where Are You Now When I Need You”

 

Children crawling Down Through The Dark Streets

Cowering under black clouds and Purple Rain

In A Pagan Place, created by governments

Shamefully they have Let It Happen

 

Our leaders need a wake-up call And A Bang On The Ear

When will they tell us “The Healing Has Begun”

We Will Not Be Lovers anymore, until

They declare to the last refugee girl, “She Is So Beautiful”

 

Let us hope the children suffer no Red Army Blues

And need not worry about being Too Close To Heaven

A big thank you to my friend Chris Black of, A way with words. for inspiring me to write another one these poems using song titles, the last one I wrote was on December 2nd 2017.  https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2017/12/02/where-have-all-the-good-times-gone-2/

The Waterboys Lyrics

“Down Through The Dark Streets”

Down by old house
Over the bridge
Down through the dark streets
Where we used to live
Out by the cornfield
And the sycamore trees
Down to the water
Will you come, Lassie please?Snow in the town square
December afternoon
Christmas lights
A crescent moon
A boy selling chestnuts
Roasted and brown
Dropping black cinders
That hiss on the ground
You and I stand like strangers
In our Hokusai clothes
Like we come from some strange country
That nobody else knows
And to go where the wind blows
Are just the words of thieves
So will you come with me, Lassie
Will you come Lassie, please?There’s a place there by the river
I never showed you before
But when I’m far away
That’s where I go
Outside it’s lamplight
High time we leave
Winter-a-borning
Will you come Lassie, please?

The big blue sea between us
Is thousands of miles
It’s cruel I know
But you just have to smile
I’d be back for you
If I could just believe
That everything is right and pure
That everything is right and pure
That everything is right and pure
Will you come, Lassie, please?

 

The Dark Streets 

 The combined trumpets of the world are sounding 

Being carried on today’s lonesome old wind 

Resonating loudly for the stolen child 

And Choirs are singing the Faery’s last song 

 

Where did their promise go, and there’s no sweet thing in sight 

Will the children get to view the whole of the moon again 

When will they ever cry out, “This Is The Sea” 

Searching for their parents, crying “Where Are You Now When I Need You” 

 

Children crawling down through the dark streets 

Cowering under black clouds and purple rain 

In a pagan place, created by governments 

Shamefully they have let it happen 

 

Our leaders need a wake-up call and a bang on the ear 

When will they tell us “The Healing Has Begun 

We will not be lovers anymore, until 

They declare to the last refugee girl, “She Is So Beautiful” 

 

Let us hope the children suffer no red army blues 

And need not worry about being too close to heaven 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  2018.

 

 

 

 

 

Pendulum Lights

I was blinded

By the light

Losing the fight

 

I was silenced

By the noise

Staying without poise

 

I was attacked

By the crown

Breaking me down

 

I was sentenced

By the people

Hiding under their steeple

 

Hung out to dry

Nailed to a cross

Punished for my loss

 

Surviving, burnt my courage

I battled to be bold

Returning from the cold

 

I refound my faith

Recouping what they stole

Purifying my lost soul

 

Ivor Steven (c)  2018

Music, By Xavier Rudd

I’m sitting at home this morning listening to the music of Xavier Rudd, and I’ll post two of songs with the lyrics below. Enjoy his words and his music, he’s an outstanding artist from my local area here, Geelong. Oh, yes, dear readers, the Plumber is going to work soon.

Xavier Rudd Lyrics

“Home”

Streets full of people
With trinkets to share
Offering them up for folks in despair
Yandi and crystals and oils for growth
Of spirit and body and mind as we go

Emphasis placed on the body and mind
The heart os often somewhere behind
Strange

Tiny little bones of the innocent child
Lookin’ up at me with the saddest of eyes
Is her innocence in tact?
Or has it been stained?
Has the creature that feeds her taken it away
Strange
So sad it’s strange

I recognize my health
Things I have been dealt
Places that I have roamed
Feelings I’ve had
Things that I know

Home, my home
Home, my home
Home, I’m home

Running through the bush
And all of the trees
Moving in time with my capable speed
Skippy ants claw
At the edge of the bowl
Of the shell of an egg
Of bird long since gone
Maybe it rose up
To spread it’s new wings
Or maybe it nourished
A stronger sibling
Strange

Places we roam
And people we meet
Some connections are strong
And some of them are weak
1 or 2 or 3 or 4
Or maybe 5 or 6 or more
Strong as the roots
Of a big old gum tree
And we’ll carry them through
To the next life we see
Strange
So beautifully strange

Recognize my health
Things that i have been dealt
Places that i have roamed
Feelings i’ve had
Things that i know

Home, my home
Home, my home
Home, i’m home

Xavier Rudd Lyrics

“Creating A Dream”

Imagine every whale was free to roam
Imagine if the trees could tell us where to go
Imagine that the sun could fill each lonely heart
Imagine confrontation never got a start

Imagine things were always crystal clear
Imagine if the mind never interfered
Imagine we could fly with broken wings
Imagine if the heart could shed its skin

Please patience please, patience please
I’m creating a dream
Please patience please, patience please
I’m creating a dream

Imagine sacred sites were left to be
Imagine if true activists controlled TV
Imagine Captain Watson had the final say
Imagine if industry just had to obey

Please patience please, patience please
I’m creating a dream
Please patience please, patience please
I’m creating a dream
Please patience please, patience please
I’m creating a dream

.
And there’s no Xavier Rudd music without listening to his magnificent classic “Spirit Bird”

Tit Bits #14

As the crow flies

I’m only a stone’s throw away

From here to beyond the skies

Out to the universe’s Milky-way

Where my dream never dies

I’ll keep dreaming

Until I burst at the seams

Drowning all doubters

In my custard and cream

Don’t misjudge my usefulness

Worn is not torn

With love and tenderness

Worn can be reborn

Your spear is the size of a harpoon

Plunging into my tethered heart

Take my leftover hand

Die with me

Burn our crosses

We’ll apply to the devil for a restart

 

Ivor Steven (c)  2018

A Creative Piece

Please, No More

This is such a brilliant idea and glorious initiative by a dear friend and fellow blogger, Colleen, of Chatter Blog. and so here is my creative post for the day.

The Chatter Blog

I challenge every creator out there

To speak

To write

To draw

To sing

To photograph

One full day

Without insulting another human being, another culture, another country.

Above, my featured photograph, from today, a beautiful flowering Cyclamen in my fernery. Below a lovely piece of music, Hello, sang in Gaelic, by a 14 year-old girl, Shannon Bryan

 

And A Poem I wrote back in February 2018

Day Lily And Love

Upon my pillow I sleep.

Good morning, I do peek.

From the cushion of my dreams.

A pads radiating beams.

Blushing red hues, oh so bright.

You bloom during the night.

After cuddling the dew.

You open up your scenic view.

Flowering, standing proud and steep.

Perfection at my feet.

A glorious Lily, like wings of a dove.

And by Day you air your love.

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  2018

Do You Know Me

Do you know what I mean

I’m compelled

Not impelled

I’m in a grind

Singularly blind

Do you know what I’ve seen

I’m a slow swimmer

Crawling up river

Mating salmon passing me

Rapids casting me out to sea

Do you know where I’ve been

I’m a lost driver

Unable to deliver

Words unheard, you didn’t read

Wasting another living tree

Do you know what’s the time

I’m now unrequired

Thirsty and tired

Standing on a dry river-bed

Waiting for a dream instead

Print

“I Need You” lyrics

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics

“I Need You”
When you’re feeling like a lover
Nothing really matters anymore
I saw you standing there in the supermarket
With your red dressing falling and your eyes are to the ground
Nothing really matters, nothing really matters when the one you love is gone
You’re still in me, baby
I need you
In my heart, I need you

Cause nothing really matters
I’m standing in the doorway
You’re walking ’round my place in your red dress, hair hanging down
With your eyes on one, we love the ones we can
Cause nothing really matters when you’re standing, standing

I need you, need you

Cause nothing really matters
We follow the line of the palms of our hands
You’re standing in the supermarket, nothing, holding hands
In your red dress, falling, falling in, falling in
A long black car is waiting ’round
I will miss you when you’re gone
I’ll miss you when you’re gone away forever
Cause nothing really matters
I thought I knew better, so much better

And I need you
I need you

Cause nothing really matters
On the night we wrecked like a train
Purring cars and pouring rain
Never felt right about, never again
Cause nothing really matters
Nothing really matters anymore, not even today
No matter how hard I try
When you’re standing in the aisle, and no, baby
Nothing, nothing, nothing
I need, I need, I need you

I need you
I need you

Just breathe, just breathe
I need you

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  2018

Updates from Texas – II

Hi to my dear readers. I read this article by Niki Flow yesterday, and I couldn’t sleep last night, and this morning I’m still feeling quite aggrieved. So I thought best I read reblog her post, and then we can all share “What Happens To The Heart”. Please read and make a comment on her page thank you.

https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2018/07/08/i-am-not-a-child-i-am-an-adult-i-can-help/

I’m Back

I have a computer, but mine is still being reconstructed by my younger brother(Lawrie) he’s a computer Engineer !! Apparently my Motherboard is stuffed. So whatever is still usable out of my old machine he’ll restructure into my reformatted computer, “Yep”, he’s clever. In the mean-time he’s set me up with this temporary computer, which uses a “Linux” system, quite different to my “Windows 10”, however it allows me to use WordPress. So here I am, “I’m Back”, and now some music from “Melanie”, 1970, Oh I had a crush on her way back then, I was a young naive lad of 19 !!. And after you play Melanie, there’s no Ivor post without some music from the impeccable Mr Leonard Cohen, and this is one of my fav’ pieces of his music/lyrics, “One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong” , enjoy my dear friends, and soak up his incredible words. Replay and replay, and then absorb his passion !!

Whispering Wind

I hear the wind whistling in the trees

Rustic sounds of rustling leaves

Swirling down through the branches

Prancing colourful dancers

Faery’s of the forest floor

Mother nature’s spiritual encores

 

I hear the wind applause for more

Seasonal breezes carrying pollen spores

Germinating ancient lands over the eons

Eden’s garden of blossom and vines

Serving our tables full of apples and wines

I hear the wind whispering memories and rhymes

 

Ivor Steven (c)  2018