My new book “Perceptions” will be out in late November. “This colourful and fascinating book is a collection of collaborative articles. The photographs were taken by Derrick Knight from the New Forest area of southern England, and associated ekphrastic poems were written by Ivor Steven from Geelong, the other side of the world, the southern end of Australia.”
Ivor Steven (c) October 2022
Hello dear readers and followers, this poem today is the first piece I have written for 3 weeks, after being unable to attempt any computer work because of my debilitating back pain. I’m afraid my back is still very sore, and this article has been put together via short sittings at my desk over the last 3 days. I think Derrick’s photos captured my imagination and stirred my tired mind to write something creative.
All Photographs, by Derrick Knight, and thank you once again for allowing me to reproduce your fabulous images here on my poetry site …
>> https://derrickjknight.com/2022/08/18/no-one-told-the-ponies/
And this is now our 39th poem/photograph collaboration, and a “Glossy Coffee-table” type book “Perceptions” is on the way, hopefully, available before Christmas.
No-one told the ponies
Congregating Every Day
There they patiently stand
Congregating every day
Outside the community shop
And the village letterbox
Most of them are posting
Food parcels to their equine relatives
Hungry and abandoned in the Ukraine
Others wait forlornly
For any news of encouragement
About the health and whereabouts
From their frightened families
Inside war-torn Ukraine
There they patiently stand
Congregating every day
Ivor Steven © August 2022
Featured Image Above: by Derrick Knight, and a sincere thank you to Derrick for allowing me to use his fabulous photos here on my poetry site.
>> https://derrickjknight.com/2022/07/27/stagnant-pea-soup/
Old Ground
Along the cracked track I walk
Always in the same direction
But today I was discombobulated
I did not know the difference
Between east or west
Or whether I was moving up or down
But then
I felt the world
Rumble under my feet
There in every blade of grass
I could hear
The earth’s heartbeat
A soft sobbing sound
Of the lost children
Resting under ground
Ivor Steven (c) July 2022
Happy 75th birthday to my dear departed wife Carole, and I am also celebrating the 10th anniversary of her passing from this world.
Featured Image above: Is a collage I created from 2 of Derrick Knight’s photographs, and thank you to Derrick, for allowing me to use his photos here in conjunction with my poem. >> https://derrickjknight.com/2022/04/15/swarms-of-moths/
A Third Eye is Watching
When your emotions begin to flow
Do your senses amplify and grow?
Bodily aches and mental strains intensify
Your flooded brain feels like a third eye
Wondering why?
You are paddling knee-high
In yesterday’s goodbyes
Today my universe
Hovers above my verse
And there is no reason to cry
While her soul resides high and dry
Ivor Steven (c) 17th April 2022
Photos: Please note, that all the “Snail” images here on this post, were taken by Derrick Knight, who at my request, kindly delved through his many years of Archives, especially for this article and I am sincerely grateful for his generosity and diligence.
Winter Snails (a Haiku)
Autumn leaves did fall
A winter sun warms our souls
Snails renew their trail
Ivor Steven (c) January 2022
Featured Image Above; and the two images below, are photos from Derrick Knight’s recent post “Pool Patterns”, and you may visit his article by clicking on this link
>> https://derrickjknight.com/2021/12/16/pool-patterns/
Pool Patterns
Future Skies
An old graceful world
Shimmers upon mirrored pond
Timeless images
Nature’s blameless history
Awaits future smogless skies
Ivor Steven (c) December 2021
Introduction
This booklet is a collection of twenty collaborative articles. The photographs were taken by Derrick Knight, and the associated poems were written by Ivor Steven
The Photographer: Derrick Knight (New Forest, Southern England)
He is a septuagenarian who enjoys rambling physically and photographing what he sees, and rambling in his head as memories are triggered. He also rambles through a lifetime of his photographs.
The poet: Ivor Steven (Geelong, Australia)
He was formerly an Industrial Chemist, then a Plumber, now retired, and has been writing poetry for 20 years. He is on the committee of the Geelong Writers Inc.(Australia), a team member with the on-line magazine “Go Dog Go Cafe” (America), and also writer for “Coffee House Writers” magazine (America).
As far as I can ascertain(??) from my poetry files, “The Faeries of Fry’s Lane” is the first poem I wrote in association with a Photograph/s taken by Derrick Knight from his wonderful blog/website … I have now compiled a PDF Booklet of all our twenty (I think) collaorations … If are you interested in receiving a free PDF copy of “Perceptions”, please contact me via this email >> IR.Steven@bigpond.com
The Faeries of Fry’s Lane
Walking down Fry’s Lane
Sheltering from the misty rain
I did spy among the hedgerow berries
A Frolic of mystical faeries
Like iridescent glowing canaries
A fluttering of night-time luminaries
Trying not to disturb their magical home
I quietly asked them, “Are you all alone”
The faeries laughed and danced
They replied, “Your vision is by perchance
and your dreams may turn to stone
if you wish for a golden throne”
Suddenly the glittering sands of time
Illuminating the faeries wings of rhyme
Begun jumping off the falling star
And the faeries quickly flew back to their green Avatar
Ivor Steven (c) December 2021
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 