Tag: Life & Nature

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

Neurotic Wind (a Tanka)

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

A Wayward Wind


In the quiet defiance of blackbirds slicing through the wind, I found a mirror to our own fractured grace. This poem, paired with The Beatles’ “Blackbird,” reflects on the quiet unity of nature and the turbulent state of mankind.



A Wayward Wind


The black birds’ little wings
cut neatly into the wind,
sharper than a bee’s sting –
and resiliently, they grin,
despite nature’s wayward whirlwind.

The little birds’ stay combined,
unlike the lands’ irrational mankind,
who become violent and unrefined
when they are in an unkind bind.








Ivor Steven ©  October 2025

Throwback Friday, Lights Above Bridges

Featured Image: Pixabay. Aurora Borealis


Yesterday, while we were walking along the banks of the Barwon River, we passed under the historic Queens Park Bridge, so today’s Throwback Friday poem is quite appropriate; originally written in September 2021.



Lights Above Bridges (Revise)



Bridges span our invisible years 
And carry our forgotten tears 
Crossing over old hidden fears

Bridges are burnt over time
Years turn to ashes in an instant
And time is our only constant  

Beyond the longest bridges
Under the ocean’s bluest seas 
And above nature’s greenest hues 
Love’s pulsating Aurora nights renew
 






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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

Celestial Birthright


Acrux rises over the opal sea—its light, my inheritance.


In the hush of night, beneath the Southern Cross, I find myself wondering how far starlight travels—and why it feels so familiar. This poem is a reflection on cosmic legacy, distance, and the quiet claim we make on eternity.



Celestial Birthright


Tonight,
there above the horizon’s
dark blue oceans,
deep in the black opal sky,
I see the bright Acrux Star.

Then I wonder: how far away
is a million light-years from today?
And why is the star’s infinite light
eternally my birthright.



Music/Video: The final 3 minutes of “Sea of Stars” – 10-hour, ambient space music




Ivor Steven ©  October 2025

Chattering to the Birds




Chattering to the Birds



Wandering down the winding road,
Chattering to the friendly birds–
Fluttering quietly nearby,
Waiting patiently for their replies.

Wondering, do they understand why
flying freely in the sky transcends
crawling around on contaminated ground.





Lindsey Stirling’s “Song of the Caged Bird” is more than just a haunting violin piece; it’s a visual and emotional journey inspired by Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Stirling imagined a bird gazing longingly from its cage, yearning to soar like the others. Though it cannot escape, it finds joy in sharing its song, lighting up the world around it.
Stirling writes: “Oftentimes, we can’t control our circumstances. However, it’s up to us to determine how we will respond to them. We all have a voice to find and a gift to share.”



Ivor Steven ©  October 2025

Dream Catchers

Over on Weekly Prompts, the monthly colour challenge this weekend is Orange. To visit their fabulous site, please click ... Here. The centre of my new Energy Flow dreamer catcher is Orange.


My old original Man-del-la shield, which was a gift from my Canadian Uncle many years ago, hangs under my courtyard verandah.


“Found at the top of the Skytram Lift, Whistlers Mountain—handcrafted echoes of the alpine spirit.”


My Energy Flow dream catcher, which now hangs on my lounge room bookcase.


And the Vision Seeker dream catcher hangs up on my writing desk



Dream Catchers

With nimble fingers and warm hearts,
the Man-del-la was crafted for me—
or someone much like me.
A symbolic shield to protect,
to bring good health and prosperity.

My Energy Flow dream catcher,
with its unique, handcrafted design,
reveals the scattering of energy
being drawn back to its source—
strengthening my spiritual self.

The Vision Seeker dream catcher
captures bad dreams in its web,
allowing the good ones to pass through.
The quartz stone at its centre
helps remove negative thoughts
and enhances spiritual communication and guidance.







Ivor Steven ©  October 2025

Shangri La, Volume 16. Home Away From Home

The title of my new booklet, “Home Away From Home”, mainly consists of poems from my amazing holiday to Canada, ‘Before, During, and After.

FREE PDF COPY >>> Links Below

Hello, dear readers and followers. As you may know, I stopped producing my “Tullawalla Booklets” at #31 because that was the house number of our family’s Tullawalla Homestead.
However, the booklet format is a superb way for me to catalogue the vast number of poems I produce, and as the saying goes, “I Am Turning Another Page”. Here I have begun a new series of poem booklets, called “Shangri La”, the name of my little Villa, and it is my piece of “earthly paradise, a retreat from the pressures of modern civilization”.
I now have “2141” Poems filed in these booklet formats!!
(On my bookshelf, I have “The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, which contains 1775 poems … when I first started writing poems, I never envisaged that I would produce so many poems)

Click on >> Here, for the link to your FREE: PDF Copy of “Shangri La, Volume 16, Home Away From Home”

OR … Shangri La Volume 16, Home Away From Home.pdf





Home Away From Home

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On an island under the northern stars
Among the giant evergreen cedars
Within my personal astrodome
Feeling at ease in my home away from home

I am on top of the world
Uncurling my ancient bones, yet unfurled
Giving my weary soul another joyful whirl

In a land covered by forests and berries
Living a dream on an island with magical fairies

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Ivor Steven (c) September 2025