Best Belatedly Poems
to ask to be forgiven
and to truly forgive,
to make amends,
to soothe hurts with a vow,
the most opportune time,
my friend, is now;
instantly we hate,
cautiously we love,
belatedly we miss
and long for the one
who has been unloved
now dead and gone;
postponing kindness,
hesitantly, we wait,
tomorrow, as always,
comes too late,
the undertaker knows
the tears, the date.
Categories:
belatedly, forgiveness, life, love,
Form:
Tail-rhyme
lone girl with her cat
maybe sad
but survives life's storms
06 August 2015
Pretty Little Lunes Contest- No. 4
Sponsor: Andrea Dietrich
*inspired by the story of Broken Wings and her cat.
**sorry, had to change the form belatedly to verse
Categories:
belatedly, inspirational, loneliness,
Form:
Verse
Written in 1981 after attending a Viet Nam veterans welcome home parade.
They march in step without a cadence call
and wear old uniforms, if they still fit,
recalling days when they were standing tall.
Five services, they represent them all;
a few in rolling chairs, required to sit.
They march in step without a cadence call.
On their parade a somber rain did fall,
but these were warriors not inclined to quit;
while some men heard the drummer not at all.
The flagless streets and silence they recall;
now greeted with a smile instead of spit.
They march in step without a cadence call.
On skeptic ears polite applause did fall,
for causes lost, but not their part in it;
while some men heard the drummer not at all.
The tears for those who died will ever fall
belatedly, a candle now was lit.
While some men hear the drummer not at all,
they march in step without a cadence call.
Categories:
belatedly, warmen, march, men,
Form:
Villanelle
So no more shall his traitors hate;
For death's veils have made it late
To slight any soul time has called
To dine and wine in the city of gold.
And his tombstone does eerily stand
Above the grass on the watered land;
Where passers-by might donate a tear
To lament the passing of a jewel dear.
And wayfaring aliens of kindlier blood
May cast a tearful eye above the mud,
To read that fading nineteen-thirty-nine;
His twain names inked in italicized line.
And perhaps see therebelow two-zero-zero-nine,
Saddest hour the grape was thieved from the vine;
And maybe briefly stand still and belatedly mourn,
And sadly concede all must die that erst was born.
His only friends - merry butterflies during the day,
And the crickets who with mournful chirping pray;
Shall some keen vigil keep over his placid bones,
Throughout his rest beneath those tireless stones.
Copyright © Hannington Mumo | Year Posted 2021.
Categories:
belatedly, appreciation, death, family,
Form:
Elegiac Lyric
WAKE UP CALL
Wake up Congolese, wake up
It is morning, the sun arises from the east
Open your eyes and wake up.
I am Kongolo Congo, born near the River Congo
Grew up in Congo Uvira, using the Congo franc
Now I am a Refugee in South Africa.
Wake up Congolese, wake up
Yesterday Congo was the private garden of the Belgium King,
It became the province of Belgium;
It became the land of Congolese.
Today it seems as the plantation of a Congolese leader with his overseers.
Think of the future faithful leaders, oh! Congolese.
Wake up Congolese, wake up
Congo is very rich than Belgium but Congolese are too poor
Congo is the ground of the wars because of spurious politic
Congo is belatedly because of the hypocrite and selfish leaders
Congolese starve to death while walking on the golds, diamonds, and cobalt.
Congolese die poor while sailing on the gas and petrol.
Wake up Congolese, wake up
Congo is the middle and motor of Africa
African leaders do you focus on Congo
Congo made Belgium beautiful place
Congo can make New Africa City than New York City
Congo is like the heart of hearts.
Categories:
belatedly, africa, dedication, encouraging, how
Form:
Narrative
The bars are empty,
the streets deserted
and the gloom which sorrounds the nieghbourhoods,
thickened.
Belatedly the wind mormured,
the trees sighed
and the birds looked on in silence,
.........as quiet as despair.
Inside the homes,
dis-believing folks gathered in silence
before radio and t.v sets,
to be bathed by concerted token of lies of freedom
and nationhood.
I waited all day.
None clapped.
None sang,
nor any danced for joy.
The hands that clapped
are withered,
the voice fainted,
and the feet are everywhere in chains.
All is quiet on Nigeria`s independence day.
For this nation and people
that we bought freedom
with our life and soul,
we have been cheated of all the best in life
.......by the same evil leaders
we allowed to live.
Categories:
belatedly, loss
Form:
ABC
So no more shall his haters hate
For the veil of death has made it late
To hate a soul that time has called
To dine and wine in the city of gold.
And his tombstone will eerily stand
Above the grass on the watered land
Where passers-by will donate a tear
To mourn the passing of a jewel dear.
And wayfaring aliens of kindlier blood
Will cast their eyes above the mud
To read the bold nineteen-thirty-nine
And his two names in an italicized line.
They will see there below two-zero-zero-nine,
The time the grape was plucked from the vine.
They will briefly standstill and belatedly mourn
And recall that all must die that before was born.
His only friends – the butterflies during the day
And the crickets who with constant chirping pray,
Will keep faithful watch over his desiccated bones
Throughout his rest beneath the tireless stones.
Categories:
belatedly, death,
Form:
Elegy
What is value?
I stand here peering out at the bar tab
Wondering what fallen soldiers reside here
Belatedly sipping away staring into space
He checks his phone on and off
Searching for some message and meaning
Takes another shot, stares
Waiting for a beautiful bride perhaps
To jump suddenly into his frozen arms
Then again the door floods open
People shuffle around looking for their seat
I'm wondering where I'm supposed to be
Walking back into the kitchen
The chef tells me not to stand at the bar
So promisculously
I agree, its not favorable to see
What is value?
I go out into the darkened streets
Glowing with artificial heat
Wondering, if you can engineer destiny
The way little store shops
Recreate nostalgic mystery
Collecting pennies by the breathe
The ocean front is murmuring
In languages i still cant understand
As clapping heels gawk
And old folks talk
Newspaper gossip talk-
I'm standing in the space of no space
Wondering what is value?
Categories:
belatedly, anniversary, art, business,
Form:
Free verse
I carry in my heart, a little little clock
And when I move, it makes tick-tock,
never belatedly and always the same
either I am asleep or playing a game.
But one day, the clock did only tick
and no tock, I was worried and sick,
I went to see my doctor after a cure:
I would not die he held, I said: sure?
Of course I am sure, Your heart is fine
the blood runs swiftly, ruby as red wine,
All that happened is natural, calm down
There is no reason to worry or to frown:
While loving, a broken clock is never late,
Now buy her flowers and sweet chocolate.
Categories:
belatedly, children, love, time,
Form:
Sonnet
Awareness about behavior,
present since mine days of yore
an unswerving allie analogous
to peacekeeper ending civil war
belated insight suddenly realized
(better late than never) doth underscore
incumbent proactive communication stance
belatedly bestowed omnipotent awareness
crucial fostering ingredient to shore
maternal bond above
bejesus ear splitting roar
I admit regret (to self), there
dost belie suppressed yen to pour
out sorrows 'twixt this sole him son,
and long deceased mother, he
deprived her his love and outwore
the Scottish tartan Harris tweed
welcome (haz) mat, which pained
materialized soon after her death, nor
can compensation be made,
now ex post facto,
when futility of spilt tears got more
gauged and swept away, when
nary a trace I privately cried
amidst lachrymose lakeshore.
20/20 hindsight brought me unflagging mast
into stark painful focus,
essentially how mine
formative behavior wrought avast
dystopian emotional fractured mindscape,
which non positive coping methods
lit fuse kindling devastating catastrophic blast
from yesteryear to present silent woebegone
desolate gloomy terrain past
grandeur eclipsed by present gloom
finds yours truly stranded like cast
away bleached flotsam upon coast
amidst tempestuous rocky shoals
clinging for dear life with grasp fast,
Where tenuous, precarious,
and ludicrous ship
of state can no longer maintain
even a marginal grip
but with slight equip
age willing, wedding,
and wanting brings relief from whip
lashed incurred (within body) showing rip
pulled scarred taut welts testimony, sans
long electrified with aggravation,
excruciation, and intoleration can easily flip
a figurative switch in summary
ushering final lip
service to charade,
facade, and masquerade
at lightspeed didst clip
this...Potemkin Village,
where everything "FAKE,"
asper envisioning flickr
ring mirage recounting ancient Egypt!
Categories:
belatedly, angst, confusion, fear, friendship
Form:
Bio
It's passing strange;
I never liked bees very much.
--thought them ugly, mean and hazardous.
But now they disappear,
together with the crops dependent
on them to survive. My sentiments
have crossed the battlefield and joined
a more quixotic enemy--one who feeds me
first, then falls away to sacrifice his sting,
his life, and his creative sweetness.
I cannot celebrate. Belatedly it is
the Charleston I hear
that echoes that ironic requiem
my brothers sang and danced to--
that burlesque of rhyme that mocked
our noble insect friend.
(We didn't know just what we do!)
We and our "beekeepers" made
a travesty of enterprise to raid
the hives and carry off the fruits
of all the buzzing, patient labor
from the little guys who wanted just
to leave a happy nursery
before they died.
It seems the lords above the hives
don't keep them very well at all.
The makers of insecticides still forge ahead
in competition with themselves,
their killing wares more perfect each successive year
while in another room they play with genes
to introduce a super flower;
how sweet!
Such are the blessings of democracy.
OUr fuzzy friends still fall
upon their hairy knees, then rise
to buzz a hymn of thanks to
all the plutocratic giants enabled
by the ballot boxes, spilling out
their "yes" to corporate power.
Or do you question that?
~
Categories:
belatedly, happiness,
Form:
Free verse
Is it a true lie-
Love is blind
But it is kind?
D'you understand?
A blind man is a kind man,
So is a kind man a blind man;
'Cause if love is blind,
It sees no flaws.
If love is kind,
It gives, gives and gives
So that the other
Might receive, eat and live.
But don't get it twisted,
A blind man may be defeated
Belatedly;
'Cause he sees not the harm the other has done
repeatedly.
He cannot requite,
He just has to be quiet;
He is sapient and resilient,
And since he can't retaliate,
Does it mean he is kind?
How do we define
A feeling we can't deny?
If love is kind, is it really blind?
If love is blind, is it truly kind?
These blow my mind.
Categories:
belatedly, emotions, feelings,
Form:
Lyric
Oh! Today I bring for you:
The Apricots of blue-hilly Ladakh
Almond beans of verdant valley Kashmir
Cashew-nuts and coconut of coastal green Kerala
The raisins of old-arty Iran
Wet dates of sizzling sandy Arab.
Forget not! To have them every evening—a few,
Opening these slow-days’ fatiguing fasts,
Reclined after dinner having a cup of hot tea;
When the old crows belatedly return their nests
Inside their burrows—the woody lofty boughs
Of the hefty chinars, and make some pleasing noise;
When the day’s dozing
And the night’s washing her long-slept eyes.
(written in the holy month of Ramdan- perhaps august 2011)
Categories:
belatedly, romantic,
Form:
Free verse
.
Although really belatedly,
much could still be learned
from slowly growing older
about how one could have
lived youthful, vibrant life
in a more purposeful way.
And from lingering illness
and dying itself, profound
lessons on health and living;
only they're much too late
for the frantic, final learning
of the sick and the dying.
.
Categories:
belatedly, health
Form:
Free verse
When bad
unhealthy
unsafe choices
speak in WRONG! voices
delivering shame,
deserving shunning
and irrepressible self-blame,
Reconsider this jump
from bad choices
to "wrong" voices
unable to consider tomorrow's
potential more right rejoices.
No one of us humans
has divine omnipotent might
to make all the right omniscient choices
spoken belatedly by unchosen judgment voices
To be omnipresently good
and regeneratively healthy
and impenetrably safe
for ourselves
for our loved ones
for our species
for our plants
and living planet
at all times,
in all multicultural inside places,
and polyculturally robust
outside wealthy spaces.
On better days,
well fed and watered and rested,
we may try more benevolent curiosity
about why feeling good
and healthy
can seem so frustratingly short
and insignificantly small
compared to long time
and large resources
Invested by patriarchal god-fearing
straight white corporate capitalists
to entertainingly seduce
and identity reduce
you into isolated producer
of bad faith consumer
feelings
Erupting in egocentric
left-hemisphere dominant voices
that habitually collapse
bad
unhealthy absence
of potential co-relational rejoices
into inevitably wrong
unwealthy feminine marginalized
divisive survivalist choices
Speaking in wrong voices
delivering shame
deserving dark fame
swamped by irrepressible self blame
Not man enough
Not human enough
Not humane enough
to be truly
and beautifully divine.
Categories:
belatedly, culture, god, health, integrity,
Form:
Political Verse