Category: Published Poem

Storms and Old Bogeymen

A special thank you to Derrick Knight for allowing me to use his photograph from yesterday’s article “Wind Swept”, as my Feature Image…. https://derrickjknight.com/2020/08/25/windswept/


Storms and Old Bogeymen



Nature’s winds blew and blew

Erasing blue sky and sun from view

Our fears rattling inside her typhoon



Her storms ferocious howlings

Were foreboding furious growlings

But our gardens survived her violent prowlings



Was nature’s sky beginning to cave-in?

Beneath the pale bones of old bogeymen

Will our collective strength eventually win?



Ivor Steven (c) August 2020

Arctic Winds

Hello dear readers, I’m taking a much needed rest and recharge break from writing….. and today I’m presenting this older poem… as a wintry blast rattled my door last night

Today’s poem is one I wrote three years ago, and I was fortunate enough to have the piece published by, ‘Vita Brevis Poetry Magazine’, back in January 2018,  a literary magazine for poets, and to all my readers/followers, I sincerely recommend that you visit/follow the Vita Brevis site,
https://vitabrevisliterature.com.

Artwork:  By Kerri Costello, Graphic Design Artist, my beautiful niece/second cousin, who lives in Philadelphia, she’s so very talented, and a very special person in my life, thank you Kerri.

 

Arctic Winds

 

I’m winter hibernating

Inside an Eskimo’s hut

Feeding only on fish oil

And frozen blue blood

My heart’s cold and dormant

Cowering under a dampened vestment

Wind-swept by a blizzard’s dust

Covered in icicles of my rust

My eyes are swollen rocks

Amidst polarised sockets

Terrorising all that’s passed

Like forgotten arctic icebergs

My veins are hollow crevasses

Inside a glaciers ice-flow

Sheering and groaning chasms

Like my memories deepest fjord

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  May  2020

 

My Easter Poem Lands In Mainz

My Easter poem “An Old Book Closes, a New Door Opens” , has grown wings, and landed in Germany (Mainz), via a website platform called, Culture-Y >> https://www.culture-y.com/das-format/

CULTURE-Y is an initiative of the Mainz band Hanne Kah. “Now, at a time when we face restrictions in everyday life, we feel all the more that cohesion is the most important formula for living together. Therefore, we decided to show all the wonderful actions and projects that impress and motivate across generations.”

“With this initiative we want to offer a platform for everything that is created “out there” in Mainz and the world so that it can move into your living room.”

“Everything should be possible on our portal. We think across generations and will unconditionally show everything that seems important and right to us. We will not be able to guarantee that every image is produced in high gloss, that technology always plays along. It remains handmade and that’s a good thing. We can already assure one thing: We believe in our platform and would be very happy if you would like to be part of our community.”

“Show us your creativity and send us your contributions. Let’s make CULTURE-Y great!..”

 

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Ivor Steven (c)  April 2020 .

The Good, The Bad & The Poetry, by Joshua Maxwell de Hoog

Please note, that in the poem below , the words are not mine, but those of, ‘Joshua Maxwell de Hoog’, who has kindly given me permission to reproduce this excerpt from his book “The Good, The Bad & The Poetry”. Joshua is the convener, of the ‘lowercase poetry’ recital events here in Geelong. I’m honoured to be able to present his words on my site, and this piece below, is an excellent example of the style of his writings. For more information and stories about Joshua you may Google his link >>  joshuamaxwell de hoog.com

*

There is no word greater than another,

 

No word that only sleeps with the

king or is only spoken by the servant,

Or written on walls in the city by

rebellious teens

 

There is no word that fights in a war

with only fists,

 

Or sails the sea for love, or with love,

There is no word greater than the

mouth that speaks it.

 

There is no word more beautiful than

another,

 

There is no word that is paid to be

listened to, nor begs for attention, or

only cries, or only sleeps, or cries

itself to sleep.

 

There is no word more beautiful than

the mouth that speaks it.

 

There are merely words, and every

one of them as important as both the

next and the last, as pressing as

future, present and past, as human as

you, me or us.

 

And we too,

Are like words,

Sometimes we are together and seem

as if we’ve always been,

As inseparable as to-do or have-been

joined by the dash,

But other times we are distant, we

appear only in the beginning or the

end, or something in between, but

that means no less of us, for we are

still a part of the story, as essential as

any word that has already been

written or the ones that are still in

writing.

 

There is no word that goes unspoken,

that needs to be.

 

All things will happen in time, and to

force them, is to skip the most exciting

chapter.

There is no word that runs faster than

another, none that overtake or jump

the queue, all words honour the mind

in which they are from.

 

There is no word greater than another,

yet I will follow “you”.

*

*  Printed with permission from, Joshua Maxwell de Hoog…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  Feb 2020

Tullawalla #15

Tullawalla, Nineteen Steps

Hello dear readers and followers, I’ve been away from blogging for three days, because again, I’ve been arduously  preparing and typing, to produce my Fifteenth Tullawalla Poetry Booklet….. For new readers that don’t know about these booklets, they are basically the reason why I write poetry. I produce the booklets for the sole purpose of raising funds for my favourite charity organization, the MS Society, in Australia via the MS Charity Shop here in Geelong. And actually all money’s I receive for any of my poetry submissions, I also donate to the MS Society. Fantastic news this week, with a few more donations coming in lately, I’m proud to announce, that the sale of my “Tullawalla Booklets”, has now gone well pass $1000. 00, …  to all the lovely readers, who have donated, to help achieve such a wonderful amount,  a big heartfelt thank you from “us” and the MS Society … …..Amazingly, there is now a total of  “613 poems”, in my collection of 15 Tullawalla Booklets. Anyhow the booklet is finally completed, and ready for sale now.. !!  As always, they are available for purchase, either as a hard copy or a PDF format….. All proceeds go to the MS Charity Shop, here in Geelong West….. Please contact me here through my web site page and I can chat about arrangements from there…. Oh, the booklet is called “Tullawalla:  “Nineteen Step”, and coincidently, this, the feature poem from  my the booklet was published by FREE VERSE REVOLUTION, on Friday, 8th, February… You can visit their fabulous magazine today!! Please click on this link >>    https://freeverserevolution.wordpress.com/                …. And here is the link to my website >> ivors20.wordpress.com

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Ivor Steven (c)  Feb 2020

Pain and Renewal, A Poetry Anthology, Edited by Brian Geiger, of the Vita Brevis Magazine. An Article by Ivor Steven

To the Vita Brevis Poetry Magazine and Brian Geiger(Editor), I thank you for including my poem, and I am honoured to appear among so many accomplished writers.

Ranked #1 Best Selling New Poetry Anthology

#1 Bestselling New Poetry Anthology, Pain & Renewal features a collection of incredible voices — from Pulitzer & Pushcart prize winners to brand new poets, it’s filled with moving poetry about the highs and lows of the human experience. From love and loss to death and redemption — and beyond.”There are as many forms of pain as there are paths to renewal, and I can think of no better way to explore this than through collected stories of people from around the world. In the same way the broader themes of a good book are not conveyed in one line but through many small and dispersed instances, the broader truths of pain and renewal bare their patterns when the struggles and victories of the individual are placed alongside those of the many. Read from cover to cover, I believe many of these patterns can be found in this anthology.” – Brian Geiger (Editor)

You can get the digital version here, if you want to read it on your computer, phone, tablet, or Kindle device.

And you can get the print version here, if you’re the bookish type.

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  Jan 2020

 

 

Anthology: Faery Footprints

Faery Footprints 

A Multiple Author Anthology by Fae Corps Publishing 

 BY: Phillip Scott, Pallavi, Pali Raj, Nk, Nikki Marrone, Nicholas J Grinder, Molly Hogan, Megha Sood, Linda Crate, Ivor Steven, Gary S Rosin, Eugenia Hoffman, Dancing Heart Designs, Andrew McDowell, Cynthia Pilcher, Michael J, Walters, Deedra Nichole, Patricia Harris, Serena Mossgraves 

Poetry published in the anthology “Faery Footprints” by the Fae Corps Publishing

 

I’m very proud to see five of my poems, being published in the pages of the anthology curated by Patricia Harris and Cindy Pilcher of the Fae Corps Publishing Press.

Faery Footprints is an anthology of indie artists, poets, and authors meant to show off the talent inherent in the Indie Community.

For readers who would like purchase a copy, please click on link below …

– www.books2read.com/faeryfootprints