“Even in the middle of nowhere, wings remember their purpose.” —A reflection on leadership, illusion, and the quiet strength of flight.
A King Without Wings (a Tanka)
In the pilot’s chair
I see warning lights out there
In the deep, dark air
Suspended in nowhere’s grip
Who knew — the King had wings, too?
Market Day with Frankie (a Tanka)
May I pat your dog?
“Yes, watch out! he might lick you,
then he’ll want a treat.”
He gives them that doggie look
Woof, woof, Frankie gets his way
Ivor Steven (c) October 2025
Six frames of flight—wattlebirds mid-dance, wings wide in a hush of blue. A private performance above the treetops, where nature choreographs its midday ballet.
Wattlebird Soiree (a Tanka)
What more could I say,
than be totally amazed
by the wattlebirds’
private aerial display–
nature’s midday ballet.
Ivor Steven (c) October 2025
“Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers in it.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
There is a Better Way (a Tanka)
The sun and the moon
Respectfully share the sky
All the birds I know
Fly by harmoniously
Why can’t we learn nature’s ways?
Ivor Steven (c) October 2025
In the wake of the recent devastating storms in the Philippines, nature’s fragility echoes through broken branches and scattered leaves. This Tanka reflects on the quiet aftermath—where hope lingers, and the question of restoration remains tenderly unanswered.
Neurotic Wind (a Tanka)
I hope – and wonder –
after the neurotic wind
shyly stops blowing:
who’ll repair the broken trees,
and rescue the orphaned leaves?
Ivor Steven © October 2025
The Fantail and the Magpie (a Tanka)
The flighty fantail
Asks the majestic magpie
“Who is the swiftest
Between the moon and the sun?”
“Yes, you! But I soar higher”
Ivor Steven (c) October 2025
The Dragonfly and the Wattlebird (a Tanka)
The dragonfly asks
“Am I the king of the sky?”
The wattlebird says
“You are only a small fry
And you’ll fly below my wings”
Ivor Steven (c) September 2025
The Spider and the Hummingbird (a Tanka)
The spider declares
“Please do not listen to me”
The wee bird responds
“You must keep spinning your web,
And I shall hum for more light”
.
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 © 2025
Today, Twenty-Five Years Ago (a Tanka)
Once upon a time
In a land of ice and rhyme
Darkness was my crime
When a rift of hollow mime
Ravaged my body and mind
“The Throwback poem that began the great Rowback”
Who’s Left to Row the Boat
The storms are too many to count
Emotional lows had weathered me out
Her journey with MS was a struggle
How much lower could our lives sink
After fourteen years of our battles, I suffered a Stroke
An ambulance came, my brain was in a boat
Floating out to sea, overboard and panic-stricken
I wasn’t swimming, barely awake, and drifting
I had fallen, nothing was working, and not talking
She’s crying, I’m sobbing, my heart is dying
And who’s left to row the boat, I’m thinking
I was jabbed with a needle and silently sleeping
I awoke a day later, in hospital, feeling wasted
My face was limp, mouth parched, was that death I tasted
My mind was active, I thought, where is she
I knew I was bad; the room was all blurry to me
Strong anxieties had set in, I needed to know
Nurses came to me, I pleaded, I wanted to go
“Help me to see her, just give my bed a tow
Please let me go, before I’m covered in snow”
Ivor Steven (c) September 20th, 2025
Say No More (a Tanka)
The worldly black crow
Delivered me good tidings
“No need to worry
There is nothing more to say
The final countdown is here.”
Ivor Steven (c) August 2025
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 