Tag: Photos

Bold and Defiant




Bold and Defiant



On a fold of cold dirt
Between the concrete path
And its plastic edging
A small tomato seedling
Decided this was the spot to sprout

The plant has defied the odds
It’s winter, the ground is cold
And there is no plausible reason
For a seed to germinate, there

Well, I thought to myself
“You’ve come this far, so best
I give you a helping hand”

Carefully, I extracted the tiny plant
From the slim sliver of earth
And replanted the little fella
Into my sunny and secure planter box

Hopefully, the bold bush will survive
The wearisome winter season
And maybe I’ll have some tomatoes
For the Christmas dinner table







.


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 © June 2025

Winter’s Rainbows (a Tanka)

Over at Weekly Prompts, the Weekend Challenge is the monthly Colour Challenge, and for June, they selected the colour Blue. To visit their fabulous site, please click on Here
Today, my Tanka is about Rainbows, and there’s Blue in a rainbow





Winter’s Rainbows (a Tanka)

Autumn waves goodbye
Winter winds and gloomy skies
Inundate our eyes
Despite the icy, hard rain
Rainbows shine, and do not cry







.


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 © June 2025

Malcolm the Mouse


Malcolm, looking sad and slowly fading away. This morning’s replacement mouse




Malcolm the Mouse



Some sad news
Late last night
My mouse died

He’s not been well
This past month
His right side was fading away
And then his left side started failing too
“His lights were on
but nobody was home”

I rang my younger brother
“What should I do, mate?”
He said, “How old was he?”
“I think he was 13 years old”
“Oh well, his time was due,
you’ll have to put him down
and throw him in the bin”

“Ok, it’s been difficult
trying to use my computer
without Malcolm”

Luckily, this morning
After rummaging through the shed
I found another mouse
An old USB plug-in one







.


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 © June 2025

Throwback Friday. Sunset, A Moment in Time

I have been focusing on sunsets lately, so appropriately, my Throwback Friday poem is a ‘Sunset’ verse that I wrote in March 2023. However, please note that all images in today’s post were taken this evening.






Sunset, A Moment in Time

here
I stand
waiting
I see
clouds lifting
paddocks shimmering

here
I stand
camera in hand
waiting
for that pivotal moment
where the edge of time
implodes

here
I see
the golden sun
and a tree-lined horizon
majestically collide

sunset!
7.35 pm
click!
picture perfect






.


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

Intoxicating


Eugi’s poem

impulsive nature
lauds summer in floral dress
intoxicating

Moonwashed Musings Weekly Prompt >> Let one or more words in my poem be your inspiration.>> http://amanpan.com/2025/06/03/moonwashed-weekly-prompt-june-3-2025/




Intoxicating


Moonlight candles do not cry
And nature never tells a lie

Amber sunsets deny
There is no final goodbye

The pink twilight sky
Knowingly decries
“Tomorrow does not die”

With every breath, I sigh
The universe is my high







Ivor Steven (c) June 2025

Shangri La, Volume 14. Purple Tomato Tree

FREE PDF COPY >>> Links Below

Hello, dear readers and followers. As you might 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 “2004” 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 14, Purple Tomato Tree”

OR … Shangri La, Vol 14, Purple Tomato Tree.pdf




Purple Tomato Trees

I have hallucinations of Vikings sailing in the cold
Plundering forgotten hearts and pilfering gold

I am dreaming of the old farmer’s wife
Milking cows and baking all her life

I have feelings for the king, in his isolated castle
Looking forlornly upon his drawbridge, a foodless trestle

I am wandering through an empty paddock
Kicking dew off the grass, searching for a lover’s locket

I have plans for the planet’s desolate future
Growing purple tomato trees until they are mature

I remember her bravery, her everlasting smile
Fading gradually, in her own gracious style

I have ceased stumbling under her distant sky
Now claiming peace among today’s butterflies







Ivor Steven (c) June 2025

No Anchor, No Breaks, No Parachute!


In response to Sadje’s, WDYS # 291
>> https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2025/06/02/what-do-you-see-291-2june-2025/
I chose her second image, “a shot of a full moon, and in front of the moon, you can see a plane traveling!“




No Anchor, No Breaks, No Parachute!

“Hit the ground running,” they say
Well, I hit Monday
Without a ripcord
On my parachute
It mysteriously disappeared
Out of touch, out of sight
I think I left my ‘safety chute’
At the Market on Saturday

I’m only half finished
My new project,
Shangri La, Volume 14
“We desperately need
a coffee break”, I said to Frankie
So, down to the ‘Cafe’ we went!

This old poet had to relax
And slow down the adrenaline flow
“What goes up, must come down.”

Hopefully, when I crush tonight,
The landing will be a smooth one





Ivor Steven (c) June 2025

An Inside Job

At Creative Geelong Makers Hub on Saturday, there was a rare opportunity when all the artists’ shops and studios were open on the same day.


Inside the MAY’D Shop.


The House, a community artistic centre and creative workshop.


The Hot House, the Hair Stylist’s Salon, and his Art Studio.


The Collectables Shop.


Vicky, who specializes in doggie portraits.


Joanne’s, Eco Artland, and Isobel and Sue’s Art Studios.


Wishart Creative and Untether Gallery





An Inside Job

I’m on the inside, looking out
North or south means nout
In here, there are no louts
Nor any sign of the drought

I’m doing a native walkabout
From shop to shop, lights on, or out
There is nothing to doubt or flout
Pins and needles, nails and clouts
Paint brushes and ceramic grout
Statues and clay waterspouts
Colourful cards and canvases throughout
A hairstylist, who paints during his timeout

I’m on a wondrous whirlabout
Trekking the Makers Hub route
Like a curious Boy Scout





Ivor Steven (c) June 2025

MAY’D May Market

Creative Geelong had their annual “MAY’D May Market Festival” on the weekend. The weather was kind, and the event was a wonderful success for the stallholders and the enthusiastic crowd.


My poetry book stall.


Stallholders were also outside the Arcade, on Little Malop Street.


Live music and a coffee shop (next to my stall)


And various other forms of entertainment





Ivor Steven (c) June 2025