Tag: Poetry/Australia

How, When and Why?

“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” ~ Carl Jung

Thank you to Gigi for her thought-evocative “Questions” article, >> https://gigisrantsandraves.wordpress.com/2025/06/12/questions-11/
which inspired me to write this questionable poetic response.


Mysterious Alien spacecraft trails in the morning sky


A healthy-looking Theo, after spending the frosty night under his beach umbrella





How, When, and Why?

Too many unanswerable questions for me
“They” say all life originated from the sea
But that doesn’t explain how we came to be

I’m here talking to Theo the Tomato Tree
About how he survived last night’s Jack Frosty
And we’re waiting for “those aliens” next corroboree

When will “They” mystically reprogram the story?
That mum told me about the birds and the bees
… Ivor’s uncorroborated theory!












Ivor Steven (c) June 2025

A Mother’s Sacred Shroud

Eugi’s Poem and Image

life in a fairytale world
blissed by cotton candy clouds
seemingly a safe harbor
reset optional

Moonwashed Musings Weekly Prompt >> Let one or more words in my poem be your inspiration.>>
https://amanpan.com/2025/06/10/moonwashed-weekly-prompt-june-10-2025/




A Mother’s Sacred Shroud



There is a narrow blue causeway
Below the evening’s wintry clouds
And twilight’s golden sunbeams
Are reaching outward
Like a Mother’s sacred shroud

I am feeling humble and proud
That Mother Nature’s grand projector
Allowed me to witness silently
Her ceremonious celestial splendor






Ivor Steven (c) June 2025

A Synchronized Dream


Micropoetry is an ultra-short form of poetry, typically under 25 words or 140 characters. It blends creative brevity with precise language, characterized by sharp imagery and emotional depth, while allowing diverse interpretations. My poem below is 24 words.


A Synchronized Dream (a Micropoem)



Today’s full moon
Caresses my eyes
And the sky’s new rainbow
Impresses me to realize
I need not apologize
For dreaming about
Tomorrow’s sunrise







.


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

Colourful Anomalies


Geranium (Ruby), Bougainvillea (Jazzi), and Begonia (Dragon Wing Red)


Bromeliads, Billbergia nutan (Tears of Joy), and Neoregelia Medusa




Colourful Anomalies

I am pondering, like Rodin’s “The Thinker”
We are in the second week of winter
And here I perceive among my courtyard flowers
Several unseasonal anomalies
Maybe it’s because my garden is enclosed
And sheltered from winter’s winds and frosts
Whatever the reason, nature has been well-disposed
Toward my plant’s colourful displays
Of Geranium, Bougainvillea, Begonia, and Bromeliads






Ivor Steven (c) June 2025

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

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