Tag: Life & Nature

Vein, Vane, and Vain

Photograph by Derrick Knight, https://derrickjknight.com/2025/10/20/a-rainy-forest-drive/ —whose lens captured this rooftop sentinel, where vein, vane, and vain converge in eerie silhouette. A moment of atmospheric ambiguity that stirred the pulse behind these lines.




Vein, Vane, and Vain


Beyond the tower of power,
I see an ambiguous, billowing vein
Lingering above the dim atmosphere.

The ancient weather vane
Whirls and curls instantly
When nature alters direction.

The modern receiving antenna
Vainly waits for a distorted signal,
Decoding the Alien’s telepathic pulse,
Which then directs us on how to conform.





Ivor Steven (c) October 2025

“Paddling in Time”, 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 “Paddling in Time” is in this week’s edition. This piece was originally inspired by a poetic response that I wrote for Ali Grimshaw’s post >>
Paddling away – Poem by Ali Grimshaw | flashlight batteries – Ali Grimshaw
“This piece explores the elusive nature of time—how it moves without direction, listens to no command, and yet shapes everything. I wrote it while reflecting on the quiet rhythm of travel and the way moments slip past like water under a paddle.”
To read the poem, please click the link below to visit my Coffee House Writers Magazine article.
>> https://coffeehousewriters.com/paddling-in-time/





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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 … and I can send you a PayPal account,
for the Book, plus Postage.


Ivor Steven ©  October 2025

Wattlebird Soiree (a Tanka)

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

There is a Better Way (a Tanka)


“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

Throwback Friday, Intertwined

Recently, the theme of most of my poems has been nature. Today’s Throwback Friday poem, written in September 2021, was also a reflective poem about nature.

“After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, and so on – I have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear – what remains? Nature remains.” ― Walt Whitman


Intertwined

Why are we deaf and blind?
How can we be so silently unkind?
Nature is not our kitchen to be redesigned

Mother Earth is our holy shrine
Our one and only protective rind
All we need is her love intertwined



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Featured Image: Forest Garden, Mt Dandenong, Victoria, by Greg Brave

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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 … and I can send you a PayPal account,
for the Book, plus Postage.


Ivor Steven ©  October 2025

The Slug and the Toad (a Tanka)


A Black Pacific Sideband Slug, or a native Banana Slug (Ariolimax columbianus) in a darker morph.

Western Toad (Anaxyrus boreas), a native species to the Pacific Northwest.


A Mudlark jumping his shadow




The Slug and the Toad (a Tanka)


The long black slug said
“I’m the largest slug worldwide.”
The brown toad replied
“That’s awesome, but can you leap
over your shadow.”







Ivor Steven (c) October 2025

Thinking About Everything

Feature Image Above: Frankie and I, mid-poem at our local café—where thoughts drift between nothing and something, and companionship keeps everything afloat.


Attached Images: Three of my bird photos from today: Wattlebird, Magpie, and Mudlark.

This poem grew from three spontaneous reflections I left on fellow bloggers’ posts—each a response to a moment that stirred something in me. Though written separately, the stanzas now speak to one another, forming a quiet meditation on uncertainty, resilience, and the weight of responsibility. Sometimes, everything lives in the spaces between.
The three bloggers in stanza order.
1st Stanza >> Okay, Socrates | Rethinking Life
2nd Stanza >> Tempted By A Demon – I Write Her
3rd Stanza >> Four in a row – Keep it alive




Thinking About Everything


In between nothing,
and something —
where is everything?

Hold onto a limb,
when the body forgets how to swim,
and the mind’s in a spin.

Holding onto self-discipline
can be hard to maintain —
especially for politicians,
who hold all the reins
in the hard rain.





This live rendition carries a breath of vulnerability and grace—perfect for reflecting on the spaces between nothing, something, and everything. It’s the kind of song that lingers, like a paw resting gently on your arm.



Ivor Steven (c) October 2025

A Lunar Surprise

After weeks of angry skies and biting winds, the moon returned—smiling, serene, and softly settling into the horizon’s embrace. I paired this poem with ELO’s Mr. Blue Sky, a song that lifts the spirit just as the moon lifted mine. May it brighten your night as it did mine.




A Lunar Surprise


After weeks of angry skies,
And cold winds that stung our eyes,
It was a pleasant surprise
To see your smily whiteface,
Before you settled down into place
Upon the horizon’s pillowcase.







Ivor Steven (c) October 2025

Wind and Light


“May the wind always be at your back and the sun upon your face, and the winds of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars.” ~ George Jung




Wind and Light


I cannot perceive the speed of light,
but I can feel its energy –
gently touch my skin.

I cannot see today’s cold gusts,
but I can hear nature’s wind —
boldly sting my eyes.

Between light and wind,
I know who is the fastest.
But I wonder: who is the strongest?






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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 ©  October 2025