Hello dear readers and followers, I am now writing for “Coffee House Writers” magazine on a fortnightly basis, and my poem “Cinnamon Toast”, is in this week’s edition of Coffee House Writers Magazine. …
To Read my poem, please click on the link below to visit the article, at Coffee House Writers Magazine.
>> Cinnamon Toast – Coffee House Writers
Ivor Steven (c) October 2023
The “Epilogue” poem “Words of Mine” from my book Tullawalla, has been revised many times since my original version, written in November 2017, and the Tullawalla version is definitely my finale piece.
Featured Image Above: An Illustration by my niece, Kerri Costello, for the ‘Epilogue’ poem, “Words of Mine” (Tullawalla, page 153)
Words of Mine (The Epilogue, in my book ‘Tullawalla’)
I’ve given you all, my humble words
I’ve given you, my hidden soul
Words trickling, through cool mountain streams
Words dripping off the frozen ashen trees
Words gliding across the icy lakes
Words of love, drowning in the memory rains
I’ve given you all, my inner self
I’ve given you, my outer grief
Words Tumbling over the embedded rocks
Words twisting along winding rivers
Words cascading down the forest waterways
Words sifting through my barren hands
I’ve given you all, my lonely heart
I’ve given you, my secret loves
Words of life, living under the vast oceans
Words of time, travelling to the stars beyond
Words flowing through happiness, and sorrow
Words of mine, destiny’s dreams of tomorrow
“Words”, A song by Hailie Andersen(France), adapted from my poem ‘Words of Mine’ … Click on the Link below Hailie’s photo to listen to the ‘Soundcloud’ Audio
https://soundcloud.com/hailie-andersen/words-acoustic-live-with-claire-l?
“Until Eyes Hear Sound” … coming out in December …
Tullawalla is Available From
Jaymah Press:https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
Ivor Steven: email, ivorrs20@gmail.com
Amazon: search via, ‘Tullawalla by Ivor Steven’
AND
Perceptions is Now Available via:
Amazon: https://amzn.asia/d/4yFHWrT
Jaymah Press: https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/
OR: email me directly for a signed copy – ivorrs20@gmail.com
Ivor Steven (c) November 2023
Over at Moonwashed Musings, the Weekly Prompt is: Mottled Sky Page >> https://amanpan.blog/2023/10/31/moonashed-weekly-prompt-mottled-sky-page/ …I have been overdoing it lately … writing until I am almost exhausted, so my response to the prompt is a bit jaded and moodily a ‘Bittersweet’ poem.
And at “Weekly Prompts” Wednesday Challenge the prompt word is: Bittersweet. You can visit their wonderful site by clicking on >> HERE
Aristotle
My magic Genie has been bottled
I was writing beyond full-throttle
My pencil became rough and cobbled
And my dreams were infirmed and mottled
Then I thought about the genius of Aristotle
“There is only one way to avoid criticism:
do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”
Ivor Steven (c) October 2023
Moon Tree (a Halloween Tanka)
No! Don’t go up there
The old tree house is haunted
Full moon night, glares
Children’s Halloween costumes
Knock! Knock! Scary pranks, for treats
Ivor Steven (c) November 2023
Today I submitted this piece to the “Positive Words Magazine”(Australia) for one their October Odes Prompts, “Polar Bears”
Polar Bears and Cold Sheep
hello world, do you see my frown?
will the blizzards ever calm down?
will the rains forever fall on broken ground?
will our tears of silence be the only sound?
the frozen wounds are deep
the mountains of snow are steep
humans need to stop being cold sheep
and begin taking their own individual leaps
the rewards of being caring and kind
far outweigh the coldness of being left behind
Ivor Steven (c) October 2023
Over at Weekly Prompts, the Weekend Challenge is the word: Why. You may visit their fabulous site by clicking on >> Here
Featured Image Above: A photo taken by Derrick Knight, >> https://derrickjknight.com/2023/10/27/autumn-has-arrived/ and again he has kindly given me permission to reproduce his intriguing photo, here on my poetry site … and I am always asking myself, Why?
I Am Tree
I am the one
Leaning against the sands of time
I am the one
Binding the earth together
I am the one
Delivering clean air to all
I am the only one!
Do not slaughter me
Like another one of
Mankind’s maniacal genocides
Please regenerate me
Before all of my ashes
Are swept out to sea
Ivor Steven (c) October 2023
Where do the Children play?
Over at Moonwashed Musings, Eugi’s Weekly Prompts is: Either Or
Either Way
According to the book of Why
The sun will never die
And the moon is often seen
wearing a black tie
Either way
After the matinee
Where do the children play?
On our filthy ashtray
Ivor Steven (c) October 2023
Hello dear readers and followers, I am now writing for “Coffee House Writers” magazine on a fortnightly basis, and my poem “Dream Harder”, is in this week’s edition of Coffee House Writers Magazine. …
To Read my poem, please click on the link below to visit the article, at Coffee House Writers Magazine.
>> https://coffeehousewriters.com/dream-harder/
Ivor Steven (c) October 2023
Today’s Throwback poem is a rewrite of an old piece called “Paper Tigers” (Feb 2019)
The Poet’s Grotto
My writer’s studio, is the littered part of my bedroom
A paper tiger’s haven, has become a messy grotto
I am ruefully feeling muddled and befuddled
Pieces of paper and cardboard kites
Scatter the atmosphere like withered autumn leaves
Falling upon my untidy and cluttered archives
Scribbled words are yet to be decoded
Foolscap pages overwritten and eroded
Undefined and unlisted
Out of focus and twisted
Upside down and inside out
Uncategorized and full of self-doubt
My desk’s dreamy picture postcard
Looks like a moonscape’s junkyard
My poetic writing quill has been the mythological ruler
Showing no regard for my bedroom’s demeanour
I am sleeping covered in my hurdy gurdy verses
I cannot penetrate the stack of obscure foreign addresses
It is time to cast out the pretentious cosmic curses
Free myself of all unpublished jabberwocky
And let my imagination create a new poetic hard copy
Ivor Steven (c) October 2023
I Write Her
Thank you to the editor of “Reflections & Revelations”, Susi Bocks, for nominating me …
Announcing The 2022 Pushcart Nominees!
It was wonderful to immerse myself again and fully digest the thoughts of all the pieces selected for the second volume of poetry of The Short of It in order to determine which works were to be nominated for this honour.
I am very happy to announce the following poets’ pieces were submitted to the Pushcart Prize Committee. Those selected were nominated for their contributions to the Reflections & Revelations—a collection of the best featured in the online publication.
Phantasma by Candice Louisa Daquin
remembering by Jane Ayres
The Sum is One by Ivor Steven
Old News Is Not Old News by Joni Caggiano
Winter’s Beauty by Lorraine Lewis
Anxiety by Radhika Puttige
My Poem: The Sum is One
The Sum is One (a Oddquain)
One
Sky above
Five oceans bind us
The one air we breathe comes from
Trees
Ivor Steven (c) October 2023
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 