“Where Have All The Good Times Gone”

A few days ago I had started writing a poem about Penny Farthing Bicycles, prompted by an article in the Geelong Advertiser newspaper, the arrival in Geelong of eight members of the Melbourne Bicycle Club in March 1880, as per featured picture above, courtesy of the Geelong Heritage Centre Collection. Then I was chatting with my friend Jane of Janebasilblog, she had just sent me the song and lyrics of the Mary Hopkin hit, “Those Were The Days”, from 1968, and I mentioned The Kinks were one of my fav’s from that era, and of course their song “Lola”. After our chat, I starting thinking [which is dangerous for me] about writing a crazy, combined, mixed up poem… The piece below is the result of those thoughts, and to my older readers, you’ll notice all the phrases written in Italic, are song titles taken from The Kinks album “The Kinks Collection”. So apologies to Ray Davies for using his song titles in such a manner. And thankyou to Jane for providing me with the inspiration to actually write these jumbled up words.

“Where Have All The Good Times Gone”

 

I remember the olden times

Of pennies and farthings

Pounds and pence

When money made no sense

Mary Hopkins sang

“Those Were The Days”

And the Kinks song “Lola”

Was the best number one ever

Many a lazy Sunny Afternoon

Spent down near Waterloo Sunset

Where we would all dance

All Of The Day And All Of The Night

My Friends would all dress-up

Like Dedicated Followers Of Fashion

Unlike that lonely Plastic Man

Who faked the Death Of A Clown

Way back then, You Really Got Me

You fired me up, here in Victoria

Thousands of Days forgotten in the burn-out

Charred in a cloud of Big Black Smoke

But now, I’m Tired Of Waiting For You

Wondering, Where Have All The Good Times Gone

Ivor Steven

29th November 2017.  4.00pm

Waterways. Reposted, and re-edited.

I recently entered this poem in a Poetry Contest, on KaylaAnn’s blog site, .. kaylannauthor … After the contest was finished she offer the entrants if they would like their poem reviewed and criticized, with some helpful suggestions. This re-edited “Waterways” is the result of her response and imput. I liked her idea of beginning all lines with verbs, and I changed the 6th line to include a water imagery, in keeping with the imagery of the poem. and the finish of the last line I also changed, it always sounded a bit awkward, and after sleeping on it, I dreamt up the words for a smooth ending. I’ll post the new edition first, and then underneath I’ll Paste the old version, hope you enjoy the alterations.

 

Waterways

Thinking about jumping into the waterfall from above.

Diving into her churning pool of heartache, called love.

Surging through the cascading rapids, of loves up and downs.

Settling upon her icy lake, where lovers often drown.

Flowing down the valley river, to where all waterways meet.

Trickling across her dry creek-bed, under the dampened sheet.

Spreading amongst the delta swamp, both bitter and sweet.

Flooding onto to her warm salt flats, discovering the open heat.

Spilling the water-lilies of love, over the seas so deep.

Joining her ocean of lost love, caressing her to sleep.

By. Ivor Steven.

 

The old Version:

The Words I’ve Said To, You, You & You..

A week ago, I was reading through a few comments that I had said on my blog site, about my poems, and in reply to my readers. Then I thought of this crazy idea, to go through all of my comments on all of my posts, now going back six months, and wow, I do like to chat, I found out, yep, literally “thousands” of comments. Unbelievably I decided to sift through all those silly words, and present a bunch of them in this article…….   some Ivor Quotes, some humourous lines, and of course some of Ivor’s words from the heart……

The Start.

* “Yes, Carole was truly amazing, and totally my inspiration in everything I aspire to be and wish to achieve”

* “Just like nature itself, true love must survive the elements also”

* “Inspired by a concreter not showing up today”

* “Wow, there’s a world tissue shortage, this could be serious”

* “Between life and love, there seems no time to dwell”

* “Haha, I’ll bring my sleeping bag”

* “But I suppose that’s what nuclear war is, one big mass of human Stupidity”

* “I’m not really into awards, I find them personally daunting”

* “Amazing what an angry pen can write” and “The Adrenaline took over my pen”

* “Ha, the things that I say with a few beers in me !!”

* “I think sharing, is like caring for yourself”

* “Life wrenches at your heartstrings, continuously”

* “I know, I listen to all those poet/singer/songwriters while I’m writing, their influence is undeniable, and I’m happy with that…”

* “I haven’t got your sort of handbag”

* “I’m not that lovely, if I’m killing off one of the tattooed blondes”

* “Not sure how poetic I am, but I do know that my soul dwells in an ocean filled by my tears”

* “My frozen nuts are still thawing out, I suppose they’ll be ok, I’ve never frozen my nuts before”

* “Love is like a big creamy sponge cake, beautiful at the start, but if you eat too much, makes you sick inside….. hehe, I loved my mum’s sponge cakes”

* “Writing is wonderful medicine for my heart, and my words expose my soul”

* “Haha, for a little bloke, I’m not sure how I get so deep”

* “It wasn’t my fault, you readers made me do it. I was going to stop at my 50 word poem for SMM, but no, all the softies wanted My Dragon to live, so I had to revive him, and then some of my fervent readers wanted more !! Me being a nice guy had to oblige, hehe”

* “The answers are still “Blowin In The Wind” and that’s 50 years ago now ??”

* “It was a little poem for a little dog, but they give us huge unconditional love in return”

* “Us humans can be quite emotional critters”

* “Ivor, are you some sort of sadist, throwing all these melancholy words at your dear readers”

* “It’s supposed to make you cry, I cried my eyes out while I was writing it…..”

* “Like throw away words written on a boomerang”

* “Can I be at the back, of the front-line”

* “I do write unabridged from the heart”

* “I don’t try to do the unexpected, I’m not sure, it just happens that way ….”

* “I love waterfalls and I was sitting there in dream-time thinking of her …….”

* “Like the calm seas, may the cool waters caress your soul”

* “I hope your heart is bathing itself in the soothing oils of your glorious soul”

* “Well I suppose it was, and I suppose it will be”

* “I’ve never drowned myself yet, but I think falling in love is the closest analogy I’m able to imagine”

* “I like that, Sir Ivor, Lord Of Word Wizardry, thanks Walt”

* “Remedy,, my mum said, add more salt, … my dad said, add more water. Either way, every comment you make, is an answer”

“Double Humbug”

* “I’ll drink to that”

 

Ivor Steven..

 

 

An Answer Follows, Music/Song Recording

I’ve posted this song before, but my dear friend Terry Fielding, has kindly re-recorded the song to my words of my poem “An Answer Follows”, and the production is a far better quality version. Thanks again to Terry for his wonderful tune.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1n1jrMWb8DPNAafF5ynsaJB4Nx2aaEDCM

Hopefully, when you open the link, you can click on download in top right of your screen and proceed from there. If you have Google Drive, and an audio music app. everything should work ??

Cheers

Ivor Steven

Luxury

Sometimes in life

Just when it’s right

There’s that moment

And tonight’s that moment

Sometimes we’re lucky

Against all the odds

There’s that fortunate time

And I’m feeling blessed

I’m so comfortable

And I’m gratefully satisfied

Writing these words on todays Newspaper

Reading tomorrows weather report

Peace is finally here

Here right beside of me

Under my verandah roof

Cool and relaxed

Loving the luxury of home

That’s all before me now.

Displaying the fruits of my life.

The picture below is of the scribblings on the newspaper I was using as a pad, trying to write this poem. I was just home from the pub, enjoying my music, and sipping on a glass of port, and somehow managed to read  these words and type them up !!

Ivor Steven.

Concrete Void….. The Concrete Void Has Been Filled !!

I’m becoming impatient,

Here waiting,

Waiting for a concrete lid.

Too many stop signs,

And lifetime bans.

I’m a good man,

So I’ve been told.

But there’s a chasm,

And the concrete’s,

Yet to fill the void.

……..To my readers that knew about my new verandah, “now nine months old”, and sadly it has been without the patio/floor area being concreted for all that time..  Yippee, today the mission has been accomplished. Thanks to my newly appointed concreter “Damian Maloney”, Yep, he’s on my recommended list. And Lizzy The Lizard Of Wizardry, was curiously looking on…..

Ivor Steven.

Tullawalla, Poems By Ivor Steven

I’ve finished self printing quite few copies of Tullawalla, a Booklet/Leaflet of my latest poems. I actually make them up off my own computer, for our local MS Charity Shop, and they sell my Poems over the counter, with all proceeds going to the Geelong MS Shop. And along with myself selling/pushing copies to my family and friends, we’re hoping to raise as much as we did last time, a few years ago….. Haha, probably a booklet as part of my Clients accounts over the next few months as well !!, and yes, I am that cheeky.

Cheers.

Ivor Steven.

Like No Other

I wanted so much to talk to her last night

To softly touch her under the moonlight.

I needed so much to hear her voice of old

To miraculously resonate from the cold.

 

I wanted so much to actually love her and to hold

To be with her, so daring and bold.

I needed so much for her to utter the words

To tell me, I won all her loyalty awards.

 

I wanted so much for yesteryear to last forever

To restore me, as her one true lover.

I needed so much for my life to recover

I needed her then, I need her now, like no other.

 

Ivor Steven.

IOTD …. “🐘 Images of the Day, Special Edition …. #BeKindToElephants 🐘 …. “!!

via IOTD …. “🐘 Images of the Day, Special Edition …. #BeKindToElephants 🐘 …. “!!

Well Preserved

Our backyard was like paradise, in my childhood.

Kids would meet here, from all around the neighbourhood.

Room enough to kick a footy, and play cricket.

There was a great peppercorn tree to climb, and a huge berry thicket.

Also large fruit trees, peaches, apricots and pears.

I remember the loganberry vine, thorns like spears.

And plucking the purple berries, our arms protected by hessian bags.

The fruit picking season would be so much fun.

Best of all, was scaling the loaded fruit trees.

Clambering up through the middle trunks.

Higher and higher, going from branch to branch.

Stretching full-out to pick the ripened sweets.

Filling the carry baskets, and our pockets too.

Like fruit lollies, succulent and juicy, always eating three or two !

Mum would diligently de-stone and half them all.

Carefully stacking them in glass jars, standing so tall.

Cooking for hours, in the giant Vacola Boiler pot.

The lids were sealed and clamped while still hot.

Preserved as our dinner sweets for many months to come.

During those years of joy, under the backyard sun.

 

Ivor Steven.

Featured Photo:  -simplebites.net

Sincere thanks to, Michelle, of “Her Writing Haven”, for being the inspiration and encouragement behind these words, while I was having a few days of rest away from my writing desk. Please read her poem, “Writers Unite !”