Dear readers, some of you might know that I’ve been busy lately, submitting my poems for various publications. Today I received great news from the Geelong Writers Anthology publication for 2018.
Anthology Submissions
Hi Ivor!
I wanted to email and thank you for submitting to our anthologies and congratulate you! I am pleased to let you know that we will be publishing your submissions Waterways, A Friend,and Singing a Song for You in our upcoming Poetry Anthology, and Beyond the Trapdoor and Down Along the River Bedin our upcoming General Anthology. We will be in touch shortly to let you know details about the launch.
Thanks so much for your hard work!
Best,
Justine
Anthology Editor
This is a fabulous result for me, I submitted a total of six poems between the two anthologies and I’ve had five selected. I couldn’t be happier, and I’m sure we need to celebrate with some appropriate music from Leonard Cohen.
G’day dear friends and readers, I’m still bristling and bubbling from Xavier Rudd’s concert last Saturday night, and on this Thursday, another day of Ivor being an old plumber at work, the attached song seems both inspiring and appropriate for me this week. Please enjoy his music and lyrics.
Xavier Rudd Lyrics
“Growth Lines”
All the reasons once again escaped his mind
The sting of daylight through the blinds
And he could smell her on the drapes by the phone
She left it ringing for so longAnd I believe we are done
And I agree we had fun
We can hold our heads high
‘Cause we could only try
Yeah, we came so far
And we gave it our all
We can walk with pride
TonightBound by the stories of the growth lines on their hands
A fork in the road would someday come
And said I love you to the moon and back
Used to seem so damn far
And I believe we are done
And I agree we had fun
We can hold our heads high
‘Cause we could only try
Yeah, we came so far
And we gave it our all
We can walk with pride
Tonight
Floating in the ocean
Heart beating like a drum
I’m singing Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
And I’m floating in the ocean
Heart beating like a drum
Singing Hallelujah into the setting sun
Featured Image: via spotlightreport.net, google images.
I’ve been good friends with Colleen of, Click >> ChatterMaster, since the first week I started blogging 14 months ago. I love her glorious attitude for life and people. I diligently read all of her posts (nearly) and I often write comments to her in the form of little poems, and many of them have been featured here in my “Tit Bits” series of poems. However today I’m presenting little/micro poems I’ve posted on Colleen’s site, during the past few weeks.
This weeks Photo Challenge is about animals in nature, and I’m always fascinated by the mystical world of dragons, and that’s “My Dragon” in the featured image above, and also in the picture below, where I’m giving my friendly dragon a pat. You can read all about my dragon by clicking on this link >> https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2017/09/23/my-dragon-the-trilogy-2/ I know my dragon is very fond of the local swans residing nearby on Corio Bay.
There are readers of mine who would remember my Lizard Of Wizardry, Lizzy, who(it has been suggested) was the reincarnation of my little furry friend, Lily, and if you’d like to read about Lizzy the lizard, click on this link >>https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2017/11/07/lily-and-a-lizard-of-wizardry-2/
I do miss my little dog Lily, and we both enjoyed our walks to the lovely bush setting of the Moorabool Valley Chocolate Cafe. Every now and then we would encounter a cheeky magpie on the Cafe’s outside patio area, and below, photos of the magpie and, lily proudly sitting in her wild natural habitat. I also wrote a poem about that cheeky magpie, click here on this link >>https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2017/10/15/cheeky-magpie/
Mum and dad and Danny saw the passing out parade at Puckapunyal
It was a long march from cadets
The sixth battalion was the next to tour and it was me who drew the card
We did Canungra and Shoalwater before we left
And Townsville lined the footpaths as we marched down to the quay
This clipping from the paper shows us young and strong and clean
And there’s me in me slouch hat with me SLR and greens
God help me
I was only nineteen
From Vung Tau riding Chinooks to the dust at Nui Dat
I’d been in and out of choppers now for months
And we made our tents a home, V.B. and pinups on the lockers
And an Asian orange sunset through the scrub
And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can’t get to sleep?
And night time’s just a jungle dark and a barking M.16?
And what’s this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means?
God help me
I was only nineteen
A four week operation, when each step can mean your last one on two legs
It was a war within yourself
But you wouldn’t let your mates down ’til they had you dusted off
So you closed your eyes and thought about somethin’ else
And then someone yelled out contact, and the bloke behind me swore
We hooked in there for hours, then a God almighty roar
And Frankie kicked a mine the day that mankind kicked the moon
God help me
He was goin’ home in June
And I can still see Frankie, drinkin’ tinnies in the Grand Hotel
On a thirty-six hour rec. leave in Vung Tau
And I can still hear Frankie, lying screaming in the jungle
‘Til the morphine came and killed the bloody row
And the Anzac legends didn’t mention mud and blood and tears
And the stories that my father told me never seemed quite real
I caught some pieces in my back that I didn’t even feel
God help me
I was only nineteen
And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can’t get to sleep?
And why the Channel Seven chopper chills me to my feet?
And what’s this rash that comes and goes
Can you tell me what it means?
God help me
I was only nineteen
I was fortunate enough to go see Xavier Rudd, live in concert last night, as part of his Storm Boy Tour of Australia, and he was here in Geelong, and what an incredible show he put on, in front of a pack house in his hometown. He’s a rare talent, playing multiple instruments, including the Aboriginal Didgeridoo and “Lioness Eye” is a good example of him playing the didgeridoo. Click this link >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZk-EhCevm0 Attached below is a few of his songs that he performed last night. I did try taking some video clips, but they were very poor attempts I’m afraid, Yes, Ivor should stick to trying to write poetry.
And of course there’s no Xavier Rudd show/concert, without listening to his classic song, “Spirit Bird”, I’ll post this version so you’re able to follow his lyrics, a heartfelt message of important significance for all walks life of our world.
“Spirit Bird she creaks and groans
She knows she has
Seen this all before she has
Seen this all before she has”
I hope you enjoy his music as much as I do.
Featured Image: From Aesthetic Magazine, July 17th 2017.
A big thank you to Walt Page for the inspiration to write this poem, please go over and visit Walt, and read his poem on this disturbing topic >> Click >> Here
Oh, Children
I’m deeply saddened
Your innocence lost
Burnt by the cross
You’re not to blame
For this baptism of shame
By the priests dirty games
Filthy rapists by any other name
Piously veiled by higher Cloth
The Lord’s words, written off
Hidden up darkened sleeves
I cannot see, I no longer believe
On a prayer and a song
The church is doing wrong
Lullaby Lyrics – Leonard Cohen
Sleep baby sleep,
The days on the run
The wind in the trees is talking in tones
LullabyIf your heart is torn
I don’t wonder why
If the night is gone
Is my lover there
Is my lover thereWell the mouse eats the crumb,
Then the cat eats the crumb.
Now they’ve fallen in love,
Then they’re talking in tones
If your heart is torn
I don’t wonder why
If the night is gone
Is my lover there
Is my lover there
Sleep baby sleep,
There’s the morning to come,
The winds in the trees,
They’re talking in tones
