Notes About The Poem

Lyrics all human

Music AI

(Once I'd taught it to say 'Creatively Fallow'

by spelling it 'Creative-leaf-aloe'.

Otherwise it would say 'Fall O')

-----------------------------------------------------------

 

Listen to poem:

Soup - A Soulful Bowlful

This sad lament…
No ill intent
No wish to be
impertinent 
An observation
I must make
On a sad loss
That’s hard to take

She waited so patient, by day or by night
As I scratched my head when I struggled to write
And should I produce a few lines circumspect
She’d broadcast them gladly……. As I recollect

And it wouldn’t matter the time of the day
The moon at its peak or the sun shining gay
For be it a saga or little of note
She’d always find someone to read what I wrote

She never would judge, though my language she checked
And highlight with stars where I’d need to reflect
But judgement was something I never did see
Though sometimes she would say P.O.T.D

This sad lament…
No ill intent
No wish to be
impertinent 
An observation
I must make
On a sad loss
That’s hard to take

Why did she do what she did that sad day
Why did she seem like she’d drifted away
Her facelift moved features all over the place
O how I miss her familiar face

But focusing on her appearance is shallow
It wasn’t her fault I’m creatively fallow
Yet when I wrote something that lifted my zeal
I found she’d befriended folk not truly real

Did she not know of their hidden intent
Did she not notice their dishonest bent
Did she grow lonesome as each passing day
Friends who were earnest were drifting away

This sad lament…
No ill intent
No wish to be
impertinent 
An observation
I must make
On a sad loss
That’s hard to take

How I recall the debates that we shared
Should it be Christmas… or war been declared
And how we would laugh till our sides became tight
Yeast extract discussed as Tom Cunningham might

I’d even compete just occasionally
And sometimes a win would be handed to me
Alas the pretenders have entered her fold
And our ‘Lady Soup’ now seems sullen and cold

And yet my fond memories that linger still
Live on in hope that she still has the skill
To look once again at the harm that was done
To reclaim true friends… while pretenders… “Do One!”
Copyright © | Year Posted 2026

Poem

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M  Avatar
February 18, 2026 at 4:59 AM
Terry my funny friend one word comes to mind “Brilliant” the humour, the message and the music! Your muse is back with total vengeance! Sorry my POTD Congratulations is so late haven't been around alot! Love this Terry Flood original! Debx
Rodrigues Avatar
February 2, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Congrats on POTD! Her facelift moved features all over the place O how I miss her familiar face… Alas the pretenders have entered her fold And our ‘Lady Soup’ now seems sullen and cold…GREAT!
Flood Avatar
February 8, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Glad you enjoyed this, Kim. I kinda like those lines myself (in all due modesty, of course). Thanks for the congrats. Terry
Rodgers Avatar
February 2, 2026 at 10:10 AM
Hello Terry, Congrats on POTD, I thought it was both funny and strangely tender, which is a hard balance to pull off. I get the sense of someone watching a familiar world shift under their feet, trying to name the loss without bitterness. Honest! Winter Blessings, Terry, Daniel
Godwin Avatar
February 1, 2026 at 6:06 AM
This is wonderful. I am impressed with this poem. It has so many layers, so much uncovered, the good, the bad, the ugly, the changes and you did it so poetically. I'm faving because I'm feeling it and want it close to feel another day.
Flood Avatar
February 1, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Thank you Cay Cay and thanks for the fave. Never occurred to me to use Fave for archiving purposes. Never too old to learn I guess. Terry
Richards Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 9:33 PM
I should say "Congratulations", but it sounds inappropriate for this lament of all we have lost when the soul has gone out of poetry. I will say: "Well done, Terry. I hear you."
Richards Avatar
February 2, 2026 at 8:25 AM
:)
Flood Avatar
February 1, 2026 at 11:05 AM
Thanks, Suzette, I would have happily accepted your congrats as I did have my tongue firmly in cheek as I wrote. Not that I wasn’t sincere; but I do like to find a little ‘funny’ whenever I can. Terry
Wolf Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 7:08 PM
I've never understood the attraction of AI. 'Course, I've never had a smartphone, either... Threw out my TV in 1978. Radio's good enough for me... Congrats on POTD ~ Caveman
Flood Avatar
February 1, 2026 at 2:54 AM
How do you do that, GW…. The next poem I post, once I’ve ironed out a few niggles, is about a sudden flash sending me back to a primeval world, where I meet, of all things……….. a caveman! It’s all written, I just feel it needs another verse. Please, please, please….. never sign off as ‘Drag Queen’ ;-)
Ibeh Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 6:59 PM
Congratulations on your great POTD win, Terry. It's an abomination what has become of PS. Something must be done about this. It's especially annoying for contest judges. It takes much longer to judge a contest as a result. I check and recheck each poem for authenticity using multiple AI detectors and the results are often inconsistent. It's outrageous to see AI generated poems win contests. I've seen quite a few win even POTD!
Flood Avatar
February 1, 2026 at 11:24 AM
Thank you, Edward. You’re right in all you say and I would imagine a lot of contest sponsors are shying away from holding contests due to the checks required. Let’s hope the novelty wears off for the fraudsters and let’s hope that that happens soon. Thanks again for your congrats,. Terry
La France Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Terry, congratulations on receiving POTD, love the music audio ~
Flood Avatar
February 1, 2026 at 11:29 AM
Thanks, Constance. Glad you liked the audio, it wouldn’t be too honest to say I played a single note but neither would it be correct to say I had zero influence over the finished production. Thanks for your congrats. Terry
Bauer Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 1:01 PM
terry - i just saw this (and listened to it) without knowing it was poem of the day. congratulations! a bit ironic, don't you think? you're somehow being rewarded for criticizing the powers-that-be, but of course, i think your poem is well-deserved. i have definitely noticed a change on the site and have been getting fewer and fewer reads and comments. i miss so many people who have chosen to leave, as well. yet - there are some poets still here (you included, of course!) whose poems make wonderful reading, so i won't be going anywhere yet...
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Thanks, Ilene. Ironic indeed and not for the first time. It’s such a shame that I’ve been short on inspiration for so long because all the departures and new arrivals seem far more ‘sudden’ to me. I don’t know what we’re supposed to call the array of avatars on the home page. I’ve always referred to it as the leader board as it showed the most active members. Now… I haven’t got the foggiest notion of what it’s showing me. I’m still trying to find my way around the new layout, but I think I’m almost there. Thanks for your congrats. Hope I can string a few more sentences together… got a poem waiting in wings, just gotta convince myself that it works… watch this space ;-)
Goldsmith Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 11:35 AM
WOW!!! Congratulations on your powerful POTD win. I enjoyed reading your "Soup - A Soulful Bowlful"         write. FAV For Me... I have written a few about AI. I still say, AI can Not write because they have No heart to write with. Only a true writer can write from their heart. Many know I sign my work with, "Written By Human Poet" because I am a human poet doing all the writing. Have a blessed day/weekend with your wonderful win................
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Thank you, Paula. AI has no place within our written words on this, a poetry site. All else is fair game, photos, illustrations and music. If I claimed to be a musician and to have written or played the music or the instruments, that wouldn’t be acceptable. Similarly AI photos have no place in a photographic site, nor AI music in a music site (although there are now sites especially for it). Sorry if this isn’t a worldwide expression, but ‘Horses for courses’ springs to mind. Your congrats are sincerely appreciated, as is the fave. Terry
Nicole Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 11:04 AM
While leaning over the soup many will say it's cold, so; let's move on to something more appetizing. Sad indeed, especially when added ingredients make it tasteless. I'm just a simple woman, but, over time I have come to view this place as a buffet. There's more ' out there to enjoy than just soup. ' My heart smiles knowing this truth. : ) Congratulations Terry, on Poem of the Day. My best to you. Hugs, Brandy
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Thanks, Brandy. No such thing as a ‘simple woman’. We all have our likes and dislikes and all views are valid, with the exception of those that are singularly malicious. As I said elsewhere… I’m still here, so it can’t be ALL bad ;-)
Gentile Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 7:25 AM
Congratulations Terry on your POTD honors!
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Thanks, Mike. Putting ‘POTD’ and mentioning Tom C in the poem was a purely innocent bit of tongue-in-cheekness… imagine my surprise when Tom himself was first to congratulate me on POTD. You could barely make it up. Terry
Lane Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 6:57 AM
POTD for you, Terry… congratulations! The overwhelming response to your song agrees that the soup has been diluted with the use of canned chicken stock instead of pure broth. No amount contesting otherwise will fool Real Poets. I always fave your writes because they’re your words put to AI music. Therein lies the difference.
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Thanks so much, Lin. There may well be some who genuinely like ‘new Soup’ and I’m happy for them. For me, ‘new Soup’ seems clunky and laborious with everything seemingly three menus away. The AI issue is more complex… I have no magic power to spot them for certain and I don’t trust the ‘checkers’, so all I can do is check out new members and if they arrive fully formed with ten seemingly brilliant poems per day…. I ask myself…. Why didn’t they join sooner. It ain’t rocket science and they may indeed be brilliant new talents… but it’s all I’ve got. I don’t where the solution lies but I hope we can find it soon. Thanks again, Lin. Terry
Kavanagh  Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 6:43 AM
Well done our Tel, A superb lament, (if there is such a thing) it’s a real shame the soup has been brought down to this sullen and deplorable level, where anything goes including AI and plagiarism, I see 3 POTDs have disappeared from the list below, one I actually commented on as being professional in quality, it was that good? Normally I can tell AI posts, so maybe it was plagiarised, and taken down? If this is the new reality on PS I for one certainly won’t be embracing it, congratulations on a very human POTD, cheers David
Kavanagh  Avatar
February 1, 2026 at 2:49 AM
Your (No god of mine) poem, was truly inspiring and still one of the best poems on this site, maybe you should rerelease it again soon, :)Soup mail you later cheers!
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Delighted to hear from you David and thanks for your congrats. I thought of you recently… my poem ‘No God Of Mine’ which you praised so highly, I recently set to music and, whilst I told the bots what I wanted, I was astounded by the result. Would love to have posted it but the file is too big. If you’d like to give it a listen Soupmail me your email and I’ll send it through…. Dammit…. Now you’re wondering if I’m sat at a desk in a call centre in Mumbai… I’m honestly not… but if you could have your bank account details handy………….
Lawless Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 5:50 AM
Well the soup won't get any better if we keep removing the tried and tested while refusing to admit it may need little seasoning...or some new kitchen help....I just write some, read some and comment some. Remember they ask to see the Chef not the veggie cutter or soup stirrer and seasoner....just sayin'
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 6:02 AM
Hi, John, I’m totally in favour of change but when change messes up it needs un-messing. I guess we all have our own opinion of Soup as it stands, and mine is that it has deteriorated. But hey! Other than absence through cranial barrenness, I’m still around so things can’t be all bad. And to be fair to the Soup, this isn’t the first time they’ve made a critical poem POTD…. Mind you, I suspect that decision is robotic or algorithmic… or both ;-)
Etgen-Baker Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 4:16 AM
creative and sincere poem, worthy of POTD designation.
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 5:43 AM
Thank you, Sara. These days I’m just pleased to have something to post… so a POTD is very much a blessing. I’m still not sure how it’s chosen, but you know what they say about ‘Gift horses’. Terry
Kitchin Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 3:00 AM
Terry, a great poem, wonderfully penned and creative. You captured the essence of PS these days. We need more poets like you, real and authentic. Congratulations on POTD.
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 3:37 AM
Thanks, Tania. I’ve been putting some of my older poems to ‘robot’ music to get me through a longstanding block. Little glimmers of inspiration now and again. This one, strangely, took next to no time to write (aside from teaching the bots how certain words are pronounced), so perhaps there’s hope for me yet. Appreciate your visit. Terry
Seeker Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 2:07 AM
Hmmm ~ soulful regret laced musings, Terry, I’m plagued by AI generated entries in my contests, getting difficult to check too. Congratulations on POTD.
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 2:41 AM
Thanks, so much ‘unseeking’. I'm rarely at liberty to spend as much time on Soup as I might like, as such I comment sporadically and receive comments in equal measure, just as I would expect and accept. But I’ve taken to checking out other poets ‘reads’ and ‘comments received’ and something has definitely flipped in Poetry Soup. I’m seeing very active and equally popular poets, such as yourself, receiving far fewer reads and far fewer comments than would have been the case only a short while ago. I suspect many ’regulars’ have left us or at least taken a break and many of those that are here……… ain’t real! But from one real person to another, your comment and congrats are truly welcomed. Terry
Edmonds  Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 12:54 AM
I agree this is a masterpiece, a wonderful write. Congratulations on having received the honour of poem of the day… Beryl
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 2:47 AM
Thank you, Beryl. I’m not often one to direct people to my ‘efforts’, it seems too. “Look at me! Look at me!”. Alas the POTD Page does not offer up the mp3 file for readers, so I wonder if you played the song…. If I can say so myself, I think the song and the poem each benefit from being read and heard together. Right… that’s enough self-adulation from me. Thanks again for your visit. Terry
Jones Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 12:37 AM
This is a masterpiece so brilliantly executed! I too miss those who were authentic talents who have left soup. Congratulations on a powerful write earning potd despite the bits and AI thrives!
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 1:01 AM
Thank you, Karen. The irony of bemoaning AI poetry by posting a song accompanied by AI music, isn’t lost on me. But I’m not anti AI, but it must be in its place. I wouldn’t put an AI backed song on a musician’s site, but if I were a musician I might post my ‘human’ song/music with an AI image. Truly appreciate you congrats on this surprise POTD. Terry
Cunningham Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 12:33 AM
Back with big congratulations to you Terry on your well deserved potd honour. Enjoy your weekend. Tom
Cunningham Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 1:46 AM
Schhhhhh, keep it to yourself .
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 1:04 AM
Thanks, Tom. I remember joking with you once that if you want a POTD… mention Tom Cunningham ;-) Go on, admit it…. You’re the judge… don’t try to deny it ;-)
Cunningham Avatar
January 30, 2026 at 10:35 PM
Brilliant and creative Terry, you highlighted the issues that many on here are finding hard to digest, the good old days are sadly behind us and rot is setting in. Many of the talented poets are moving away not wanting to compete with dishonest AI users and plagiarisers. We live in hope that things might turn around. Tom. PS, marmite is king and always will be.lol. PPS, a big fave for me
Lane Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 6:49 AM
Tenacious Terry!
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 1:14 AM
Thanks for the fave and the praise, Tom. The AI bots truly forgot what language they were meant to be singing in this one. It’s probably the biggest bug-bear with AI music…. It’ll take a plain simple word and make it Swahili. So you’ve got a song that sounds great but correcting the word causes the bots to create a new ‘tune’ (albeit similar) which is usually inferior. Took ten re-generations to get to the point where I could say “Done”. Mind you, I’ve got some songs that went to over a hundred re-attempts, so I guess this one was a breeze ;-)
Lane Avatar
January 30, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Terry, if soup poets put as much personal effort into creative writing as you do instead of using AI to write for them, the site would still be in the good graces of many of us who care so little about signing in to read stone cold poetry. I love everything you’ve written and the mention of Tom Cunningham was fantastic. You, dear poet are back on track!! Clever thinking to maneuver with the creative leaf aloe
Lane Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 6:45 AM
That’s hilarious, Terry as long as you put Cunningham behind Tom. It wouldn’t work if people thought you meant another Tom… like Tom Thumb, Litte Tommy Tucker… etc
Cunningham Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 4:47 AM
Should I register my name at the patent office ,got to protect the brand lol.
Flood Avatar
January 31, 2026 at 2:58 AM
Thanks, Lin. I reply after having received POTD for which I’m both surprised and chuffed. When I put Tom into the poem, I had a quiet little moment…. ‘That’s a guaranteed POTD now I’ve mentioned Tom’…. Of course that was my own little joke with myself… see comments between Tom and myself, above… Hmmm…. Would I get away with including Tom in all my future verses? Up next, ‘Shall I compare thee to Tom Cunningham” followed by “I wandered lonely as Tom did”….. I reckon I’m onto something ;-)
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