My Scenic Saturday

The Weekend Challenge on Weekly Prompts is, Scenic. Please go over and visit their fabulous site by clicking >> Here … Below is my photographic article in response to the prompt…

My Scenic Saturday

 

After writing my daily poem in the morning, I then pottered around in my courtyard garden, however my fingers were becoming frozen from the frosty dawn, and I decided to delay the potting, until after going out for my usual Saturday coffee and cafe visit, to the scenically rural Box Office Cafe. The above photos are from my lunchtime visit today. The winter sun was starting to warm me up, and on viewing my photos, you’ll understand, (maybe), why I frequent this quaint and rustic establishment….

It was definitely a lot warmer when I arrived home. Last week a friend of mine made me two wall hanging racks out old wooden pallets. I hung them up during the week, and today was my day to fill the two pallets with plants… The below photos, were taken after I finished the potting and planting…. and I’m very pleased with the gorgeous ”scenic” outlook of my small but vibrant courtyard…

 

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  June 2020

Our World, Air For Us All

I posted this poem yesterday evening, I’m republishing today, without the ‘Links/Pingbacks’…  and I’m adding another old ‘Bee Gees’ song “Words”, which seems to be appropriate for my poem here, which basically, is only ‘words’ from my pondering thoughts.

 

 

Our World, Air For Us All

 

What grows up

Eternally falls to ground

What’s absorbed in

Eventually seeps out

 

Did you hear the sound?

The world is round

 

But is the universe a square?

As we struggle to breathe in our share

Did you hear there’s enough air for us all?

So why cry before we’ve learnt how to crawl?

 

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  June 2020

A Collection, Nearly Time To Go Home

On “Weekly Prompts” their weekend challenge is: Story. Please go and visit their fabulous site by clicking >>HERE…. And below I’m continuing my “Story” about my trip to Philadelphia in May last year, via a collection of my poems and haiku’s …

 

Wet Flowers of May

 

Philadelphia rain

Like a rattling freight train

Wet fat drops

That didn’t stop

Watering flowers on mother’s day

Sharing the liquid joy of May

 

Haiku: Family History

Boxes of photos

Memory lane in my hands

Decades of stories

 

The Golden Pot

I’ve travelled to the end

Of yesterday’s rainbow

I found the golden pot was full

Full of warm hearts

The pot of hearts was overflowing

With ladles full of kindness

And their kindness was a cascading

River of magical rainbows

 

Haiku: We Lost The Sea

Bridges of dreams crossed

The ocean and river spanned

Waters of love found

Ivor Steven (c) May 2019

The Forest Of Doubt

This Saturday, the weekend challenge on Weekly Prompts is: Walkabout. Please go over and visit their fabulous site by clicking >> HERE.  And below is my response their prompt.

 

The Forest Of Doubt

 

Tonight, after dusk

I’ll be in the dark forest of Doubt

On a mystical walkabout

To find those elusive faeries

With their wings of mysterious star-dust

And I shall fill my empty pockets

Ready for Mothers Day tomorrow

Whereupon I’ll spread the magical sparkles

One handful on my mother’s headstone

The second one on my wife’s grave site

And as the same as other years gone by

For us, the faeries willing share their night

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  May 2020

We’re All Here As One

In this week’s Wednesday challenge “Weekly Prompts” have chosen a very important word for the time we are living in : VULNERABILITY. Please go and visit “Weekly Prompts” site by clicking >>HERE.  Yes we are definitely living in vulnerable times of isolation and distancing. My poem below is about staying connected via our websites. And Hanna Kah’s website platform, is a good example of putting your talents out there, for everyone to enjoy… Here’s the link to their site > https://www.culture-y.com/  , and for an added bonus, if you click onto their site, and click ‘Home’, and then click on the video on their Header Page, you’ll get a video show of Hanna Kah’s live performance, from in her lounge-room studio…. please enjoy the show….

 

We’re All Here, As One

 

Mid afternoon

Time for a cuppa and cake

In the safety

Of my writing haven

Sheltering under the verandah

Listening to Hanna Kay’s music

Via a direct connection to Germany

Playing songs from her lounge-room

All the way to my courtyard

 

I’m all alone here

However, I’m sharing all of my words

To all of you readers

From all around the world

We’re all at a distance apart

But we’re all here, as one

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  April 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Old Book Shuts, a New Door Opens

This weekend the challenge from “Weekly Prompts” is: Up and Down. Please go over and visit their fabulous site by clicking >>Here .    My response below is a poem about, the ‘downs and ups’ of our worlds situation at the moment….

 

An Old Book Shuts, a New Door Opens

 

Today I question myself

What do I see?

Upon my worlds’ lower shelf

There! An open wider drawer

Containing a treasure chest

A vast crater of potential

 

An orb with a mystical two piece door

The doors’ bottom half’s pale blue

Like yesterday’s fading blue moon

A book of old testaments

 

The doors’ top half’s bright yellow

A gateway of gilded gold

The book of tomorrow’s future

The new prophecy of days under the sun

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)

 

 

Sage Bush At Guard Tower Twelve(Revised)

This week’s Wednesday Challenge on the “Weekly Prompts” site is the word BOUNDARIES. Please go over and visit their fabulous site by clicking >>HERE  . Below is my poem about the biggest social boundary every put in place on this planet !!

 

Sage Bush At Guard Tower Twelve

 

I’ve been on the run for weeks

Heading towards the Great Wall

From atop this steep hill

My nose tells me, I’m close

And I smell that distinctive sage aroma

Knowing, the sage bush is nearby

Below the gateway to guard tower twelve

My old bones shake and shiver

The Mongolians are closing quickly

Spears and arrows aquiver

 

Fear grips me, and I crawl low

Fingers grasping this granite boundary

Block after block, of the giant blockade

Frightened, I’m too scared to fall

Onto those deadly steel blades

And cold rugged rocks below

I clamber higher, step after step

Finally there above, I see my wish

The flowering sage bush

Mauve blooms bowing in the breeze

My chest sighs and heaves

I clear my lungs, and scream

Soon I’ll be free, as I see

Near the sage bush at guard tower twelve

The Emperor’s warriors, my reprieve

Saved, I fill the Royal message bag with sage leaves

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  April 2020.

Remembrance Colours

Tuesday’s Writing Prompt over on “Go Dog Go Cafe’s” site is: “Colors of my mind” .. Dear readers you are all welcome to participate, view our friendly site for writers by clicking >> Here >> https://godoggocafe.com/2020/04/07/tuesday-writing-prompt-challenge-april-7-2020/

 

Remembrance Colours

 

Time bygone, This Lost Shadow

Words written, your May Day

Timed out at one-fifteen

An afternoon, vividly clear

Words written, a tragic play

Remembering my Gracious Lady

 

A Midday Sun, you were gold

Words of moonlight, and silver too

Words under stars, celestial and bold

Words upon oceans, purples and blue

Words on fire, Smouldering beams

Words Rain In May, your favourite green

Words cry tears, Liquid Joy and mellow

Words an eternal vault, In My Mind

 

Words of sorrow and tomorrow

Words of love, you were my dove

Life’s colours, you were every hue

A life story, coloured and true

 

The words in Italic, are all referring to poems of mine that have appeared on my blog site here since I started on June 7th 2017,  https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2017/11/09/this-lost-shadow-3/   https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2017/09/06/gracious-lady/   https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2017/10/19/a-midday-sun/   https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2017/07/07/smoldering/   https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2018/01/12/rain-in-may/             https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2017/06/07/a-few-words/ https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2018/04/17/in-my-mind/

 

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  April 2020

What? Escalation Again

This weekend “The Weekly Prompt” challenge is slightly different from the norm; They have chosen a question, and the question is ‘What is it?‘ Please go and check out their fabulous site by clicking >>HERE…. Above, in the Feature Image, is my photo of “What is it?” , and below is my poem about the object in the photo ??

 

What? Escalation Again

 

Is this the germ?

That mysterious virus

Or maybe the cure

Our miracle antibiotic

Why profoundly round?

A slippery pill of renown

Why be so colourful?

The answers a rainbow, upside down

 

Red’s for blood

Yellow’s our solar sun

Blue for the ocean that surrounds

What about the black crosses?

Sorry, the gravestones

Representing the losses

 

An insightful imagination

Of a sixteen year-old

During the cold-war escalation

His world then, was young and bold

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  March 2020

The Communities Leap Of Faith. “Pako Festa”, Geelong

Over on Weekly Prompts, this weekend’s challenge is:  Leap. Please go and visit their fabulous site by clicking >>HERE

Yesterday (Saturday), I went to Geelong’s annual Pako Festa event, a gathering, celebrating the colourful multicultural societies that live in harmony within Geelong’s community. These people who have come from all around the world, have taken a giant leap of faith to resettle their lives here in Geelong. There were over 25 different nationalities represent in the glorious parade, and I’ll let my photos below do all the talking today….. I hope there’s not too many photos, but as you can imagine the parade took well over an hour to go pass me !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ivor Steven (c)  March 2020