Great News

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 Bed in 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.

https://youtu.be/ACVAg76Y5P0

Ivor Steven 2018

Thursday, More Music By Xavier Rudd

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.

 

Ivor Steven (c)  2018

Auspiciously

“Weekly Prompt” . The word prompt for this week: Serendipity

 

I’m a poet of little renown

Writing continuously for eighteen years

Scribbling word after word

Penning thousands upon thousands of lines

Forming hundreds and hundreds of poems

My stories of memories and rhymes

Soulful words of mine

By perchance

I’m reviewing my poems today

Reading every poem, every word

Auspiciously

Discovering there’s a word

A word I’ve never used

I’m mystified and perplexed

I’ve never been charmed

With the gift of the written word

Fortuity has rolled on by me

I’m wondering why

Why I’ve never used the word

Serendipity

 

Ivor Steven (c)  2018

Chatting To ChatterMaster

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.

Fall

After a bad fall

We need good strength

To fully recover

I Believe

I believe in helping

I believe it’s our call

I believe no matter how small

I believe in standing tall

Where To

I’m good at reading maps

Not a good driver

I’m good a finding the dots

Not good at erasing the crosses

I’m good at figuring things out

If you’re struggling about

I’ll help you out

Extra Time

If we had an extra hour in our day

It still wouldn’t be enough time

To fit all the good times in

We just have to enjoy our good times

While we still have time

Holding Today

I like holding today

She’s bubbly and full of life

I look forward to meeting tomorrow

She’s a lustrous light

I loved yesterday

Like there was no tomorrow

I dream of the next kiss

Holding onto today is bliss

 

Ivor Steven (c)  2018

 

Creatures Of Wizardry

 

Weekly Prompts : Photo Challenge, Animals In Nature

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/

 

Ivor Steven (c)  2018

 

Saturday Night “Live” Concert

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.

Ivor Steven (c)  2018

 

 

Breakfast Tea, Lemon And Ginger

Today’s dawn is crisp and foggy

A gentle chilly breeze tingles my skin’s awakening

The cold air’s magically refreshing

As I sit here under my verandah

Protected from the cool settling dew droplets

Wetting every piece of exposed ground

Moisturising my garden’s fernery

Greenery leaves glossy and glowing

I sense my cheeks are warmly blushing

Feeling filtered rays of morning sunshine

Welcoming me to another enriching new-day

 

Ivor Steven (c)  2018

Tiredness Leaves Me Wordless

 

I’m wordless at the moment

My thoughts are in postponement

I hear Leonard’s songs

All night long

Lyrics full of love

White lilies and doves

I hold your pale glove

My one truelove

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  2018

I

 

Against the Next War, The Next Hell

Against the Next War

Hello dear Readers, I’m presenting this important poem written by, Sarah, of Fresh Hell Poetry, for you all to read.  An absolutely outstanding piece of poetry, definitely one of the best anti-war poems I’ve ever read. 

 Fresh Hell  Poetry  August 20, 2018

In response to CafePhilos’s call to make peace viral. A noble effort, and worth a try. Please give his post a read.

“Trying to do a slam-style poem. I really hope the audio turned out OK on this. Apologies if it’s too quiet, I’m still figuring out how to make videos.” – Fresh Hell

 

---

 

Don’t Feed Them

 

If I imagine them
Taking my brother away to war

I shatter.

I don’t want to lose anyone.
Especially not to something as stupid
As war.

Maybe you like the idea of war
Because you’ve confused real life with action movies.
Maybe you hate another group of people for what they have done.
I can’t convince you to forgive another’s atrocities
That is something you must grow into on your own.
But I can beg you this:

When dogs of war bark
Don’t feed them.
You will be told it is the honorable thing
To die for your country.
You will be told you have enemies abroad
Monsters in human flesh.
But the monsters are in your back yard
Baying for blood.
Don’t
feed
them.
You will be told
That if you love your family
You will abandon it
And submit yourself to the state.
Give up your mind, body, and soul
To be consumed.
Don’t feed them.
You will be called weak
You will be called subversive
You will be stamped
Kicked
Drowned
Thrown into jail
Dumped in the gutter.
Still,
don’t feed them.
They will scream about the chaos
Unleashed in the world
They will plead for your aid
They will put weeping women before you
They will show you the bodies of children
They will appeal to your humanity.
But if you join them
You become the monster.
You will rape the women
You will bomb the children
You will force them all into the machines.
Don’t feed them.
They offer you money
Insurance for your families
Early retirement.
Ask your wife how she feels
When you go abroad.
She may smile then, proud and supportive,
But when she gets the letter,
Insurance will be a cold comfort
A reminder
That her loved one was eaten alive.
Don’t feed them.
The politicians get fatter.
The generals get fatter.
Our fearless leaders
Have little to lose.
What is noble
About sacrificing yourself for these people?
Are they so wise, so just?
They have enough.
Don’t feed them.

• Written by Sarah, of Fresh Hell.

 

A Poem About Me

Share your poem with me!                                                                                                 Written By Gina, of Singledust

“Last week in my feature at the Go Dog Go Cafe I put out a call to write a poem to introduce yourself. the idea was formed from a spoken word poetry meet I attended. 

If it inspires you to write one, Pingback to here or my Come Sit With Me post and I will feature it this week at the Cafe! 

No word limit but….you know what I mean!

I would really like to read who you are in your own words!

 

Here’s my poem, about me, Ivor.

About Me, And My Links  <<< Click Here For Gina’s Post.

How to write a poem about me

The boy who lives by the sea

As a youngster, I was not a loud speaker

Just shy and quiet, a daytime dreamer

With visions of yesteryear well-preserved

Good times, on the beach and in the surf

I loved Vegemite, honey and ice-cream

And my life became just a little dream

 

Looking at the mirror of a calm bay

I see sun-burnt freckles and dark hair, that turned grey

Struggling, life was disappearing after my Stroke

Emotionally I was crying out, who’s left to row the boat

Needing strength, my stars echoed, “I Do Thee Shine”

Now I’m left with these words of mine

Recalling all of the days in my time

Leaving my empty hands full, of memories and rhymes

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  2018