Hope


Hope, today, and the new plant in 2017.

Hope, Philodendron selloum (Balinese Dream), has been a member of my courtyard’s fernery area for 8 years, and as you can see, the plant has large, wavy-edged, elephant ear leaves. Today, the fern stands at five feet tall and is covering a large portion of the fernery, and it’s time for “Hope” to have a trim.





Ivor Steven (c) July 2025

Throwback Friday, The Odds and Ends, I Send

Today’s Throwback Friday is from February 2023. The poem was created from anecdotes that I had written and sent to my fellow bloggers’ sites, as replies to their articles/poems.
In order of stanza appearance below,
– V.J. > https://vjknutson.org/
– Kate > https://aroused.blog/
– Beth > https://ididnthavemyglasseson.com/



The Odds and Ends, I send



Our head reaches for the clouds 
But our heart forgets to speak aloud

We are all little fish in a big sea 
Swimming below the atmosphere 
Created by nature’s life-giving trees

Not all rocks 
Are not just rocks 
Some old rocks 
When you study their socks 
And listen to their knees knock 
They “Have rocked around the clock”







.


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’m Like Dad (a Senryu)

“When your father’s name is etched in stone, it is never as indelible as the etching in your heart” … Colleen Brown


Alex Steven (Dad), February 5th, 1924 – July 3rd, 2015




I’m Like Dad (a Senryu)

Sometimes I am sad
But I am not mad or bad
My heart’s just like Dad’s






Ivor Steven (c) July 3rd, 2025

Joey


Please note: The featured image and the attached images were all taken by my sister’s hubby, John. They live on the outskirts of a small country town, Smythesdale, in western Victoria, and the Kangaroos and their Joey’s graze in the adjacent paddock to my sister’s home.




Joey


Protected from the storms
And needing no land reforms
Inside and warm
Or outside with the other newborn

You live as you please
Snuggled away
From the winter freeze
Or out hopping around
In the dewy breeze
A mother’s spoiled burden
Inside her cozy playpen







Ivor Steven (c) July 2025

“I Remember”, 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 Remember” (a Rondeau) is in this week’s edition. …
To read the poem, please click the link below to visit my Coffee House Writers Magazine article.
>> https://coffeehousewriters.com/i-remember/

A rondeau is a fixed-form poem that originated in French lyrical poetry. It typically consists of 15 lines, divided into three stanzas (a quintet, a quatrain, and a sestet), with a refrain and a specific rhyme scheme. Here’s a simple guide to help you craft one:
Structure of a Rondeau.

  1. Lines: 15 lines in total.
  2. Stanzas:
    • First stanza: 5 lines (quintet)
    • Second stanza: 4 lines (quatrain)
    • Third stanza: 6 lines (sestet)
  3. Refrain: The first few words or the opening phrase of the first line are repeated as the last line of the second and third stanzas.
  4. Rhyme Scheme: AABBA AABR AABBAR (where “R” is the refrain).






Ivor Steven (c) July 2025

Let the Rivers Flow (a Combined Poem)


Today’s poem is one of my verses made up of comments I posted on some of my fellow WordPress writers’ articles during the month … In stanza order, they are:
* Paul, The Moment – a poem by Paul Vincent Cannon | parallax 
* Carol, Some people say I’m off my trolley – Therapy Bits
* David, The shape, or: Letting go – The Skeptic’s Kaddish 🇮🇱 
* David, https://skepticskaddish.com/2025/06/27/mouthfuls-of-silence-or-sign-language/






Let the Rivers Flow (a Combined Poem)


The tides of time are forever changing 
Going beyond our depth can be frightening 
But testing the unknown waters can be rewarding

We are all off our trolley
We all like our Lollies
We all forget the brolly
Life is a hectic folly
So, best we stay jolly
And always chat to Polly

If things don’t change
Things will remain the same
Let the cascades fall
May the rivers always flow
Forever changing our lives
With the current’s undertow  

Sometimes I wonder
If I am drowning in the sound
Of words that are on the tip of my tongue
And their lifeline has melted
Into the silent recesses of my mind 





Ivor Steven (c) June 2025

Water and Sand


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 on >> Here


Water and Sand

I am a nomadic island
A minute rock of water and sand
An unstable molecular lotion
In the universe’s vast ocean

I am one unsinkable living gland
At the mercy of nature’s timeless hands





Ivor Steven (c) June 2025

Autumn Leaves and Bees Knees





Autumn Leaves and Bees Knees

Deep among the forest’s magical trees
Where the rowdy snails do as they please
There is a secret garden for frolicking fairies
Their cabbage patch is made from layers
Of interwoven autumn leaves and bee’s knees
Spread upon leftover leprechaun sleeves

Here, the sprites flit in on the breeze
With an occasional wheeze and sneeze
Sometimes the bold winter freeze
Gives them an overfriendly squeeze
And you’ll hear the fairies squeal in Sinhalese





Ivor Steven (c) June 2025

Throwback Friday, Five Shades of Grey

Here in Geelong we have been experiencing a wintry blast over the last few days, so appropriately I have chosen “Five Shades of Grey” for my Throwback Friday poem. I originally wrote the poem in April 2019




Five Shades of Grey

Daylight turns into night
Ravens scatter in mid-flight
Dark clouds overlay
Five shades of grey
Thor’s hammer roars
His spark of fire, soar
Fiercely, a flaming bolt strikes
Piercing frightened psyches






Ivor Steven (c) March 2021