Tag: Life

Throwback Friday, Quietly I Exist

Today’s Throwback Friday Poem appears in my revised edition of “Tullawalla”, July 2022, and was originally written as a travel log piece about my overseas journey to, America, Philadelphia, in May 2019.

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Quietly I Exist

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I’m writing words from the edge of time

And pondering my life’s lack of rhyme

Thinking every moment is an ironic crime

And quietly, I exist only in mime

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Life is a mountain of ups and downs

Sharp thorns and slippery crowns

For me, every moment is a good day

Behind me, I leave yesterday

And today I’ll by-pass midday

On my way to bathing in tomorrow’s sun-rays

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We are not here to control nature

But we are responsible for her future

I don’t think humans are meant to be

Poisoning the sea with plastic and mercury

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I cannot be the king of this stagnant world

But I am free as my wings unfurled

My eyes have been opened again

To reveal the sky, sunshine and rain

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Now I see beyond every yellow door

There was once an original world

So, I’ll turn the latch to discover more

And give realities of life a whirl

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Ivor Steven (c) Sept 2025

Fallen Ancestors

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Fallen Ancestors

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Above
I saw time drift across the sky
Below
I heard a grey waterlogged tree cry
“Is this the graveyard where my
fallen ancestors have been left to die”

There
“Against the sea wall’s merciless granite crown
surrounded by cold water crashing around
Please
“Take my hand, guide me down
so I can cover them with my green nightgown

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Ivor Steven (c) Sept 2025

Royal Roads University, Hatley Park Gardens

Featured Image: Ivor in front of the iconic Hatley Castle (1908)

Cousin Penny and her husband Dave

Pea Hen and a duck on the pond

Above and below images are from the rose garden

The fernery garden

The Japanese garden and pond

Above; The Italian garden area

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Ivor Steven (c) Sept 2nd 2025

Throwback Friday, Odds and Sods, Spots and Blots

Today’s Throwback Friday poem is an odd collection of anecdotes from my hospital bed, written in December 2018. After I had just suffered a ‘minor’ stroke, and these were the jumbled thoughts that were tumbling out of my tired and confused mind …



Odds and Sods, Spots and Blots

Lazy Bones

Cordless phones
Garden gnomes
Overhead drones
Windowless homes
Creaks and moans
Lazy bones

Pain

Pain is like the rain
It comes and goes
Heavy and light

A Lie

It’s a lie that I don’t cry
It’s a lie that I passed you by
It’s a lie that I never tried
It’s a lie that I’ll never die

Mirror

Mirror, mirror, on the wall
You showed me how to stand tall
Again, it’s time for your call

Judge 

I’m neither a judge
Nor a dealer in sludge
I’d rather eat some fudge
And give my side of life a nudge

Even Though

Love is all above thee
Love is a blanket of autumn leaves
Love showers us with glee
Love is everywhere, to feel and see







Ivor Stven May 2025

“Dusty Photos”, 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 “Dusty Photos” 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/dusty-photos/







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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 © May 2025

Throwback Friday, Did Your Heart Stop Too?

Thirteen years ago today, it was the “Time” that I made a “heart-stopping decision”


Did Your Heart Stop Too?

Did you cry too?
When the doctors told you
She was not going to recover

Did they ask you too?
About what you already knew
It was time
To flick the switch
And dim her light

Did your heart stop, too?
Knowing
You had emptied her shoes

Did you sleep there too?
During those infinite days of blue
Softly holding her hand
And not letting go

Did you weep too?
Blankly alone
In her full room
Waiting
For her last silent breath








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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 © April 2025

Throwback Friday, Beyond Dark, There is Light (Revised)

Today’s Throwback Friday poem is from July 2021.



Beyond Dark, There is Light (Revised)




Looking back
What do you see?
Tall mountains and a dark sky that surround me

Looking back
What do you see?
Bottomless wells and a deep river inside me

Looking back
What do you see?
Melted snowflakes and icy tears that drown me

Looking back
What do you see?
Treasured memories and a brave soul that revives me






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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 © April 2025



One Day, or: Bless My Soul


Today’s poem was my inspired poetic response to David’s “Sijo”, ‘Of all things, or: Bridge to nowhere’. >> https://skepticskaddish.com/2025/03/28/of-all-things-or-bridge-to-nowhere/
Over at Weekly Prompts, since it’s the last weekend of the month, “One Day” is again the monthly Prompt! To visit their fabulous site, please click on >> Here


One Day, or: Bless My Soul



Beneath our feet, there lies a common mound
Between our ears, the winds of time hear no sound
Below our eyes, the promised land cannot be found
Within our hearts, we share the lost and drowned

Beyond our souls, the world’s burial grounds
Belong to the hounds, who run the battlegrounds






Ivor Steven © March 2025

Welcome!






Welcome!

When you walk into my home
You cannot help but notice
That all the walls are adorned
With photos and various pieces of memorabilia

And if you venture out the back door
Into my verandah and courtyard area
You cannot help but notice
That the fence and walls are also covered
With more pictures and Tullawalla scriptures







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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 (c) March 2025

Internation Women’s Day, My Women

Remembering “My Women”, my dear wife, Carole, and my amazing mother, Esther …
Thank you, Bella, for encouraging me to post this poem today …
>> https://thoughtsnlifeblog.com/2025/03/07/an-ode-to-women-in-honour-of-internation-womens-day/



My Women

After I had left the hem
Without women
I could not have survived my time
I would not have braved the climb
Ladies, you are my rhyme
My mother’s of thyme

Helping me roll away the stone
Maintaining these old bones
Repairing the bridges, I have burnt
Reciting the messages, I have learnt
Cheering from the sidelines
Supporting my broken designs
Women of My Rhymes
Mothers for a lifetime






Ivor Steven (c) March 2025