Throwback Friday, White Pony, by Ivor Steven

The article I posted on “Go Dog Go Cafe” today >>
https://godoggocafe.com/2022/11/25/throwback-friday-white-pony-by-ivor-steven/

I’m very fond of this poem from October 2019, which appears in both of my books, “Tullawalla” (page 149), and “Perceptions” (page 1).
Featured Photo Above: taken by Derrick Knight >> https://derrickjknight.com/2019/10/13/the-halloween-template/

White Pony. (Tullawalla, page 149, and Perceptions, page 1)




If I were to be reincarnated

I am sure I would be a tall white pony

A flashy show jumping horse

Who knows his arduous course

Hurdling coloured bars

And clearing hard brush fences

A swimmer I have always been

So the perilous water hazard

Would be a simple breeze

A shadow passed over with ease

As my reflection in the pond

Magically vanished under my rider’s wand

Turning sharply on the pitch

Nearing the finishing stretch

I see more obstacles ahead

The doubles and triples, I dread

Without fear, forward I bound

Up over and gliding down

My red-haired rider, she’s blushing and proud

Hearing loud applause, we bow to the crowd

Tullawalla is Available From;

Jaymah Press:https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/

Ivor Steven: email, ivorrs20@gmail.com

Amazon: search via, ‘Tullawalla by Ivor Steven’


Perceptions: will be available soon, pre-order via …

Jaymah Press:https://www.jaymahpress.com.au/

Ivor Steven: email, ivorrs20@gmail.com

Ivor Steven (c) November 2022

Off-white

Featured Image Above: ‘Mushrooms’ taken by Derrick Knight, and thank you to Derrick for allowing me reproduce his photos here on my poetry site.
>> https://derrickjknight.com/2022/11/02/ibsley-ford/
Special Announcement: Today I have a “Copy” of “Our” new book Perceptions for me to proofread on the weekend

Off-white

White moon and white mushrooms

White doggie and white clouds

Here my writer’s world is a chromatic lamplight

After the passing of my gracious Aphrodite

Now I dream tonight

About the earth’s broken stalactites

And how the atmosphere is turning a sickly off-white

Like a grubby plastic skylight

Now with foresight

My tethered “Itmims” craft is ready and watertight

And awaits her saviours next spaceflight




“Itmims” … Ivor’s Time Machine In Micro Space

Ivor Steven (c) November 2022

I Did Not Hear The Midday Chime

Featured Image Above: Photo by Derick Knight, and I have used the photo once before in another poem (>> https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2021/12/01/time-watches-over-us/) . Again, thank you to Derrick for allowing me to use his photos on my site.
>> https://derrickjknight.com/

I Did Not Hear The Midday Chime

I slyly look up

In silent amusement

At the old chiseled face

Of my grandfather clock

And I see his shaky hands of time

Are too meek and tired

To strike the midday chime

I slowly close my eyes

Overused muscles are cramping

Weakened bones feel brittle

This complicated mind is exhausted

And my dream needs to sleep

Before I am able to write another rhyme

Ivor Steven (c) October 2022

Horse Before the Cart

At Weekly, the Wednesday Challenge is the word: TREES. Please go over and visit their fabulous by clicking on >> Here. My poem is not directly about trees, but I believe that in one way or another, life here on earth is connected to our “Trees”
Featured Photo: by Derrick Knight, and a sincere thank you to Derrick for permitting me to use his fabulous image here in collaboration with my poem. This is now our “41st” collaborative article, and our joint book “Perceptions” is now in the hands of my editor/publisher (Judy, from Jaymah Press), and hopefully, the book will be in print before Christmas. >> https://derrickjknight.com/

Horse Before the Cart 

Bitumen road 

Horse and cart 

Centuries apart 

Unopened loads 

Dreams of tomorrow 

Library books unborrowed 


 

Ancient ode

Horse before the cart 

Centuries before the Ark 

Ivor Steven (c) September 2022

Standing On Unstable Ground

Featured Photo: by Derrick Knight, and a sincere thank you to Derrick for permitting me to use his fabulous image here in collaboration with my poem. This is now our “40th” collaborative article, and our joint book “Perceptions” is now in the hands of my editor/publisher (Judy, from Jaymah Press), and hopefully, the book will be in print before Christmas

Standing On Unstable Ground
 

 

Do not make me laugh 

The pain would cut me in half 

Instead

Pass me yesterday’s leftover chaff

Alas 

I cannot leave you an autograph 

I am a wounded grey donkey 

Standing on unstable ground 

Feeling disabled and lonely 

And my inner damage is yet to be found  

Ivor Steven © August 2022

A Soul’s Weary Retreat

Featured Image Above: ‘Peace Milestones’ by Derrick Knight, and thank you Derrick for kindly allowing me to reproduce your fabulous photos on my poetry site
>> https://derrickjknight.com/2022/07/29/no-more-than-a-truce/

A Soul’s Weary Retreat




Boulders did tumble

Across my gravelly path

Hard stones have bruised my feet

Decades of broken milestones

Did crumble

Into my lonesome creek

But my old waterlogged boots

Kept pounding the cobblestone streets

Defying the weariness of my soul’s retreat

Ivor Steven (c) August 2022

Urban Glare

The weekend challenge on Weekly Prompts is: Review. Please visit their fabulous site by clicking >> Here … Below is my response to their prompt, and you are quite welcome to ‘Read and Review’ my poem “Urban Glare”

Featured Image Above: by Derrick Knight >> https://derrickjknight.com/2022/04/28/across-the-stream/

Urban Glare





Down into the valley

I wander

Away from urban glare

Beyond reach

Of those who do not care

About nature’s faded flare

Along a cool creek

I wander

Away from urban air

Beyond sight

Of those arrogant stares

Who do not see nature’s plight

Ivor Steven (c) July 2022

There Will Be An Answer

The Featured Image above was taken by Derrick Knight, and when I viewed his heartwarming photo of the foal peacefully sleeping on the grass, my mind was immediately inspired to write words, and after numerous attempts to create something worthy of Derrick’s beautiful photo, I eventually produced this poem “There Will Be An Answer” … and my poem is to be read by pretending that you are the “foal’s” thoughts … You may visit Derrick’s article by clicking on this Link >>
https://derrickjknight.com/2022/06/20/shadows-and-reflections/

There Will Be An Answer

All the world is green

Within my midday dream

Please, do not disturb me

Let me sleep, let me be

Let it be, let it be

I do not comprehend

Your unnatural trends

Of killing your neighbours

After kicking in their sacred doors

Do not listen to me

Hear the breeze among the trees

There, under nature’s ancient marquee

She wisely decrees

Live in harmony like the bees

Co-existence is free

Let it be, let it be

Ivor Steven (c) June 2022

A World Of Puppets (a Tanka)

Featured Image Above: by Derrick Knight, who kindly allows me to reproduce his photos here on my poetry website …

A World Of Puppets (a Tanka)




Are we the puppets?

Punch and Judy’s without strings

Who’s contolling things?

As Putin’s a dummy too

Ask the children in Russia

Ivor Steven (c) February 2022

“New Mushrooms”, my 2nd Poem in the Red Wolf Journal, A Change of World Spring 2022 Edition

Featured Image Above: with the kind permission of Derrick Knight >> https://derrickjknight.com/

The ediditor of Red Wolf Journal, Irene Toh, is pleased to announce the release of the Spring 2022 Issue.

The poets with work in the A Change of World edition are:

Dmitry Blizniuk
Paul Brooke
Jeff Burt
Joe Cottonwood
CS Crowe
Mary Anna Scenga Kruch
Ron. Lavalette
Joan Mazza
Karla Linn Merrifield
Peter Mladinic
Misky
Larry Oakner
Frederick Pollack
Emalisa Rose
Timothy Resau
Rikki Santer
Emil Sinclair
Ivor Steven
Debi Swim

You may download a copy of the PDF release here.

A Change of World Spring 2022 Issue 20

____________________________________________________________________________________

You’re invited to submit to our new issue, also titled A Change of World, Fall 2022 Edition. Read our submission guidelines here. Happy writing!

Irene Toh
Editor
Spring 2022 Edition
_____________________________________________________________________________________

A sincere thank you to the editor Irene, for considering two my of poems for her superb anthology “A Change Of World”

New Mushrooms

After the storm

Old boundaries were transformed

Fences were moved and torn

Fields smelled of rotting corn

Patient vultures remained airborne

Above the drowning longhorn’s

After the storm

I rested under the peppercorn

And I saw new mushrooms rise with the dawn

Ivor Steven (c) February 2022