Throwback Friday, Whispering Flowers

It was “our”48th Anniversary on the 10th of September, and my Throwback poem was written when I was recovering from 2nd and 3rd strokes, and of course, during that time I was not allowed to drive …


Whispering Flowers (Tullawalla, page 41)




Whispering Flowers

I went shopping this morning
To buy her flowers
For our anniversary day
A bus trip to the local florist
Then I boarded another bus to the cemetery
My first time on a bus carrying flowers
Bouquet in hand, on I hopped
You could’ve heard a pin drop
Over the silence, I heard solemn whispers
The men on the bus, courteously nodded
And the ladies knowingly smiled
Gratified, I dipped my cap in acknowledgement
Then I started to sense the day’s emotions arise
And with my honesty glowing, I felt proudly special










All Books. Now Available At:

Creative Geelong MAY’D Shop,
Shop 15/Centrepoint Arcade
132 Little Malop St, Geelong
TRADING HOURS
Thursday-Saturday
11am-3pm



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) September 2024

The Road East, is in this week’s Coffee House Writers Magazine edition.

Hello dear readers and followers, I am a writer for “Coffee House Writers magazine” (USA), on a fortnightly basis, and my poem “The Road East”, is in this week’s edition of Coffee House Writers Magazine. …
To Read my poem, please click on the link below to visit the articleat Coffee House Writers Magazine.
>> https://coffeehousewriters.com/the-road-east/









All Books. Now Available At:

Creative Geelong MAY’D Shop,
Shop 15/Centrepoint Arcade
132 Little Malop St, Geelong
TRADING HOURS
Thursday-Saturday
11am-3pm



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) September 2024

Sailing, Around the World






Sailing, Around the World 
 
 

With my spaceship’s sails full  
And the spinnaker pulling us west 
Our journey around the world 
Will be an expeditious  adventure 
Navigating our way over polluted oceans  
And above war-ravaged ground 

 
I’ll be confirming, first-hand 
That our planet is, water, green, and round 
And not a flat contaminated compound












All Books. Now Available At:

Creative Geelong MAY’D Shop,
Shop 15/Centrepoint Arcade
132 Little Malop St, Geelong
TRADING HOURS
Thursday-Saturday
11am-3pm

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) September 2024

Throwback Friday, Black Snow Thaws In The Winter Sun (Revised)

Today my ‘Throwback Friday’ poem, is from June 2019, and again, as is my way, I have slightly revised the original piece.



Black Snow Thaws In The Winter Sun (Revised)

I’ve no more secret words of sorrow
Only old lines I’ve borrowed
I found them in a poet’s dusty booklet
The pages were tattered, like Grandma’s cookbook
Hidden in the family’s sacred cabinet
Faded words that now appear outdated
Years of love and dreams relegated
Stored away, but prudently not wasted

My road ahead is now cleared of black snow
The night is not always dark, you know?












All Books. Now Available At:

Creative Geelong MAY’D Shop,
Shop 15/Centrepoint Arcade
132 Little Malop St, Geelong
TRADING HOURS
Thursday-Saturday
11am-3pm


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) August 2024

What would you change about modern society? – My Answer

The Daily WordPress prompt from three days ago was
—————————————————————————

What would you change about modern society?

—————————————————————————











What would you change about modern society? – My Answer


Get rid of the modern

Go back to being a society

Without materialism













All Books. Now Available At:

Creative Geelong MAY’D Shop,
Shop 15/Centrepoint Arcade
132 Little Malop St, Geelong
TRADING HOURS
Thursday-Saturday
11am-3pm


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) July 2024

Reeling in Reality (a Senryu)






Reeling in Reality (a Senryu)


Disillusioned

Beyond my unopened shells

There are no oysters













All Books. Now Available At:

Creative Geelong MAY’D Shop,
Shop 15/Centrepoint Arcade
132 Little Malop St, Geelong
TRADING HOURS
Thursday-Saturday
11am-3pm


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) July 2024

Throwback Friday, Knots On Blue Paper Lines

This week’s Throwback Friday poem has been hidden away for five years and is not in any of my published books. I originally wrote the piece in August 2019 and “as is my way” I have revised the poem for today’s article.



Knots On Blue Paper Lines

Eyelids are heavy and tired
Overcome by the dazzle of razzle
My palms are open but empty
Anxiously yearning to turn another page

This mind of mine feels worn and torn
Time is constantly tick-tocking away
Chiming between today and tomorrow
While the poet’s pen is scrawling
Knots on blue paper lines
Hanging them out, to dry and die

My arms are quietly fluttering
Searching for yesterday’s wings
As I meander through my journey
Pondering how much reality stings


I think the lyrics of the ‘Airbourne Toxic Event’s’, song below, are profoundly outstanding and well worth reading as you listen to the tune.”












All Books. Now Available At:

Creative Geelong MAY’D Shop,
Shop 15/Centrepoint Arcade
132 Little Malop St, Geelong
TRADING HOURS
Thursday-Saturday
11am-3pm


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) July 2024

Resting?






Resting?



Why rest?
Dawn is here again
Another new day
For my persistent pen

Why Rest?
From every moment
A second emerges
**
Time has no opponent

Why rest?
The Age of Aquarius
Has been and gone
And the edge of beyond
Is no longer precarious



** From every moment
a second emerges
** … Borrowed from Robert Okaji’s poem, “Flame” out of his Chapbook, “From Every Moment A Second”
>> https://robertokaji.com/2017/11/21/flame/










All Books. Now Available At:

Creative Geelong MAY’D Shop,
Shop 15/Centrepoint Arcade
132 Little Malop St, Geelong
TRADING HOURS
Thursday-Saturday
11am-3pm


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) July 2024

One Day, Not Too Far Away


Over at Weekly Prompts, their Monthly Challenge is to include the words; OneDay … please visit their fabulous site by clicking on >> Here




One Day, Not Too Far Away



Now, is the beginning
Of my flightless journey

The airwaves taunt me
I hear the wind call

“aim high, beyond the sky,
one day you will fly”

I Shuffle my feet
And spread
My featherless wings

Flap, flap, nothing!
My ankles are anchored

Mother Nature smiles at me
“today, is not your turn to fly”

“you have time on your side
now, is not the moment to say goodbye”








Until Eyes Hear Soundis NOW Available From,

Lulu Books:  Until Eyes Hear Sound (lulu.com)



Destination


My poem ‘Destination’ is a “Writing between the lines” exercise for the May gathering of our Dome Poets group here in Geelong. I chose Leonard Cohen’s poem, ‘The Goal’ (attached below my poem), for my attempt to write a poem between each of his lines!

Over at Weekly Prompts, the Weekend Challenge is: Departure. Please visit their fabulous site by clicking on >> Here.
Between here and there, “Destination” is a part of Departure



Destination, by Ivor Steven

The curtains are open
The front door is ajar
So, I can hear her sing
From her distant star

I do not own much
My soul is a gold mine
I haven’t lost my touch
My heart is kind

I share what I have
I have hope and love
Couldn’t stop the flood
Couldn’t hold her glove

I walk alone
I look content
Regrets are few
Despair ferments

I push on and on
I do not complain
I’m still alive
I’m numb to the pain

No one asks
No one knows
About finality
Under the snow


===========================

“The Goal”, by Leonard Cohen


I can’t leave my house
Or answer the phone
I’m going down again
But I’m not alone

Settling at last
Accounts of the soul
This for the trash
That paid in full

As for the fall, it
Began long ago
Can’t stop the rain
Can’t stop the snow

I sit in my chair
I look at the street
The neighbor returns
My smile of defeat

I move with the leaves
I shine with the chrome
I’m almost alive
I’m almost at home

No one to follow
And nothing to teach
Except that the goal
Falls short of the reach








Until Eyes Hear Soundis NOW Available From,


Lulu Books: https://www.lulu.com/shop/ivor-steven/until-eyes-hear-sound/paperback/product-jeev886.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Jaymah Press: https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/product-page/until-eyes-hear-sound


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/

Lulu Books: https://www.lulu.com/shop/ivor-steven-and-derrick-knight/perceptions/hardcover/product-2pwqe4.html?q=Perceptions+by+Ivor+Steven&page=1&pageSize=4

OR: email me directly for a signed copy – ivorrs20@gmail.com



Ivor Steven (c) May 2024