Best Late Poems


Premium Member The Late Blooming Iris

Lately I have paused, pondering death
But I'm not fit for it's journey yet.

It's not that I loathe meeting death's kind
It will be, for me, an experience of a lifetime.

I've had one stupendous, lovely, awesome gift
A second chance at life I could not resist.

So tell me this... who's thinking of dying?
Color me rainbow. Rain falls, next, I'm smiling.


Lately I have paused, pondering death
It's out of my hands, my stem's length and breath.

All I have been, isn't all that I am
I've taken a stand to let The Source guide my hands.

I can claim to be a calico, claiming nine lives
Again, and again, I rise with clearer eyes.

I'd assume any form my Maker moves me to use
Would I be excused, if in your haven I refuse?

I am a flower, even in winter
Even in winter, I am a flower.

*

Premium Member Too late to Save the World

L i f e
I sense your perplexed pulse
within pirouetting pearls,
steeped in sinister streaks,
while fading sparks
of dulcet stars
swing from threads of darkness
on the verge of vertigo,
living in minutes
caught in the crawling contradiction
of tainted t i m e…

O’ f r a g i l e hummingbird,
I hear the hushed hymns
hovering through the ebony haze,
awaiting unlocked gates
adorned with regal rubies,
reflecting heaven that
sings of the sacred.
For in your lonely serenade,
in bittersweet solitude,
you raise fatigued feathers
to the alluring azure,
to heed the heartbeats
of the halcyon haven,
amidst your spirit
drowning in dreariness,
soaked in sadness,
counting cursed crystals
as blessings from the essence
of this endless enigma~
d r e a m gliding in drowsiness,
drenched in midnight terrors,
flowing between technicolor tercets,
etched in obsidian tears
within the raven prose 
of Edgar Allen Poe,
oblivious to the table set,
serving chalices
brimming with 
moonbeams and hope,
as you’ve long tasted
toxic embers from hellfires,
in a satanic sphere that knows
not the ingredients of peace,
consumed with hate and prejudice,
perhaps prewritten
from ashes seized 
from the Hades inferno,
a spring stolen from the
valleys of dancing daffodils.

So let me waltz
beyond constellations of cruelty.
It’s too late to save the world,
to color the globe in lime green 
and blooming blue,
as there is no winning
when the devil sits
on a throne of fickle flowers,
where snakes slither
through the narcissistic eyes
of the emperor~
dressed in deception,
eager to rule the weak and naive
with nothing but the scorching
heat of the serpentine sunsets,
bleeding venomous verses
upon your canvas
that pleads and prays
for compassionate clemency.

I feel the rising
of the merciful moon,
embracing the wolverine warmth,
filling the emptiness between
wicked lines, 
k i s s e d  by the weeping wind,
as purple phrases across pastel pages,
immortalize the poetic need to
       paint the world with l o v e and lilac...

Premium Member Late October Haiku

LATE AUTUMN HAIKU

they’re almost gone now
how brown, bare the branches look
some toys in the leaves

when rain turns to snow
how sad those two last roses
brave faces with tears

apples      bruised apples
scattered on the frosted green
and this twiggy frown

music in the wind
late october’s final song
dancing red and gold

talk of winter now
old dog by a crackling fire
shutters rattle      pings!

photo of dear dad
he loved that fulsome willow
fallen leaves      marker

Dave Austin


Premium Member Late Summer Haiku

late summer sunset -

floating in the cocktail glass

a slice of orange


Summer Haiku Contest
Hosted by Tania Kitchin   
Placed in 21st place
29th June 2021

Premium Member Out In the Desert Late At Night

Out in the desert, late at night
The stars and moon are shining bright
The coyotes sing,
While crickets keep beat 
Cool night's joy, replaces heat
The owl sets out on nightly quest
"Who, whoo's my meal?" 
ever his jest
The man in the moon 
witnessed escapes
Wild dashes 
for thorn bush drapes
The merry stars 
with twinkling eyes 
Laughed at the hoot owl's 
great surprise
Kangaroo rat leaps in delight
Out in the desert late at night

Premium Member The Late Humorous Mandela

THE LATE HUMOROUS MANDELA

The late former President Nelson Mandela,
Was known as an extremely humorous fella,
A respected freedom fighter and leader,
Referred to her Majesty as Elizabeth, amusing many a reader.


ENTERED FOR EDUCATE ME WITH HUMOR – LEADER CLERIHEW POETRY CONTEST

24/1/2019

Dear fellow soup readers and judges. Having realized that line 4 did not adhere to competition rules I have edited and changed it.


Premium Member - It Is Never Too Late -

Being Young
What is "young"......do what you want
regardless of what others think .....
Young....."wise", inexperienced and a lot to learn
Not sure or absolutely certain
No duties and no considerations to take,
just think of the day
Free as a bird, spread their wings and fly where you want


Flower Power
Make Love Not War
Peace & Love


Spending the day with good friends, sleeping under the stars
Not sure or absolutely certain
Today`s young people are not so simple, 
there are liabilities - they have to go to schools
to keep up with modern society
School, work, homework and have time to social gatherings
They are not free as a birds, they can not fly where they want


Flower Power
Make Love Not War
Peace & Love


For those who are young at age
Being young, young in body and soul 
It`s never too late.....Fly Where You Want.....Fly...
Have a wonderful day


Flower Power
Make Love Not War
Peace & Love











24. June 2012
A-L Andresen :)
Copyright © All Rights Reserved

Premium Member Haiku - Late September

oak’s coy hint of red 
blushes shy leaves midst the green -
sunset steals day’s warmth

goldenrod plumes nod
as twilight shows off the stars - 
the fire pit crackles


Susan Ashley
September 24, 2019

Premium Member Happy Father's Day To My Late Son Rob

Happy Father’s Day to my Late Son Rob

My son, my sweet son, you now are at rest.
Of all fathers my son, you were the best!
Your son emulates you the best he can.
You taught him how to become a great man.

Almost twenty years you shared with your wife,
With family love you lived a great life.
Organs you donate will help others live,
A legacy you unselfishly give.

I am proud of you son, as you take part,
Some fortunate soul will live with your heart. 
You tried to live and put up a great fight.
As you depart and go into the light,

Your sisters will miss you, you helped each one. 
You were a great brother, my precious son.
You were only with us forty four years.
You’ll be remembered with love not our tears.

June 1, 2021

I wish all you Father’s a very Happy Father’s Day!

*This poem was written for my late son Rob who 
had a severe stroke and was pronounced brain dead on 
May 29, 2021.  He saved over 6 lives by donating his 
organs. Rob leaves behind my eleven year old grandson
Brody, and his wife Akiko. I want to thank each of you 
who prayed for my son to recover. Thank you all for your 
kind condolences.The love sent from my poetic family has 
helped me greatly.

When All the World Is Quiet - Its Too Late Version

WHEN ALL THE WORLD IS QUIET
           (It’s too late version)

When all the world is quiet
	And the night is fully deep,
A mystic moon is watching
	All the places underneath.
My thoughts like panthers moving
	through the jungle, they do creep.
Among the lingering shadows
	lies a naked hairy beast…

When all the world is quiet
	Amid the pine trees night is dark,
The Hunter charges east-southeast
	As Venus makes her mark.
But its not these welcome visitors
	That wretched me from my sleep,
For they have come, the moving lights,
	It’s their secrets I can’t keep.

When all the world is quiet
	People would not believe
The shower of light, the dusting
	Of illuminating cosmic debris;
“Not of this Earth”, I tell you,
	“Embrace the night”, they implore.
But they often go to places 
	I’d rather not explore.

When all the world is quiet
	Hairy beast meets Neo-man
They’ve been coming here for millennia,
	Our consciousness to expand.
Too many gods, countless laws
	And many borders defended,
The message they send is simple,
	Life as we know it has ended.

When all the world is quiet
	Listen if you can
Peace and love resound over
	The noise of clumsy man.
Aspire to the Divine, my child,
	Let children lead the way.
The music of the spheres is love,
	Oh, let the music play.

A Tribute To My Late Wife Shashi

A short Poem as 
A Tribute to My Lost Wife.


Countless voices and memories 

May get foggy or dim  

By the flow of time stream, 

But where do they get erased, 

From the continuous petals of mind, 

What to say of friends, even life partners, 

Get lost, while walking on the path of life, 

But, their images and figures,  

On the petals of mind,   

Continue to spread their fragrance,  

Till we breath and live in this world, 

To inspires us to fight, the darkness all around 

To support those, who are losing courage and hopes 

This is the mantra of life 

I got it from my lost loved ones and  

from my lost wife Shashi.  

 . 

Even if, rocks become obstacles,  

To destroy into pieces,  

All the bright figures and shapes,  

Want to lay rope to bind, 

To bind the stream of art and writing,  

Which has immense power and force, 

But where has anyone stopped 

The flow and current of a powerful river  

Or has closed in his fist 

The beautiful fragrance flowing in the air. 


Ravindra K Kapoor  

New Raipur India 17 07 2020

* On this day I lost my wife in 2017.

Premium Member It's Already Too Late

If you have to apologize, it's already too late  
What you've done is unfixable; don't think you're so great

  If you feel mere words can mend a broken heart
Then you've learned nothing, you fool, from its tearing apart

  if you've fired a person and want to make amends
Find him a new job; that's the right message to send

  If you've screamed at your kid, reduced him to tears
It'll take years to overcome what you've taught him to fear

  Whatever you've ruined, be it a life or a love
Can only be mended by Mercy from Above


        April 30, 2019
Entry: "APOLOGY" Poetry Contest
     Sponsor: Line Gauthier

Premium Member Late Mother

I knew
she loved me
when she confessed
her fear
she didn't



***

Premium Member Elegy for my late Uncle

  “Grief is like the ocean. The waves ebb and flow. Sometimes the water is calm. Other times it's turbulent. In order to survive, I had to learn to swim. In moments when I struggled with massive waves of grief, I rode it out.” 
Dana Arcuri  

When the pearl moon is sinking 
and the sea dreams in silence,  
when the skies reflect 
  the sunrise within sighs,  
I close my eyes and unlock 
  my grieving heart.  
There, your sincere smile glows
  like a string of golden pearls,  
and your song, an echoing melody,  
while jasmine rain croons 
into the mourning mists.  
And I whisper to the stars:
 show me what it's like in heaven,  
where angels and fairies 
sway to your vanilla laughter,  
for I am still healing from 
the shadows of your demise.

I remember, 
I was a teenage tempest 
dressed in crusts of raven,  
but you saw 
unicorns and butterflies
soaring above 
whirling waves of angst.  
and wove my darkness 
with acrylic glitter. 
You were the antidote 
  to my bleeding ink.  
you were the sakura spring
 among my tattered twigs,  
you watched me laugh 
into the gothic duskiness.

Somehow seeking fireflies 
within my summer maze,
did illuminate your weathered time, 
like rainbow roses, 
engrossed in emerald empathy.
You always knew the 
right phrase to rhyme,  
subtle syllables to 
write every wrong.  
You were my comfort 
on lonely days.
The uncle, I cherish, 
so young and charismatic…

Orchids in your 
orchard still sprout~
flaunting their colors 
in your mauve memory,   
and your seraphic aura lingers  
as the magnetic essence
      of eternal warmth.  
Now I am draped in 
  mementos and euphonious wind-chimes,
emanating the fragrance 
   of evergreen grass and soulful sunflowers. 
Someday, I will find my way
     to your empyrean home, 
        where you reside in poetry and affection…

Premium Member The Late Walk

Taking a walk by the lovely lake
under the canopy of the sunlight
watching its effect on the water
makes one wish never-ending night

With your loved one hand in hand
thinking only of one’s deep affection
wishing never to let go of your grip
feeling assured this is a pure connection

The night's atmosphere so haunting
making each one’s love to inspire
stillness is so totally enrapturing
a moment you never want to tire

Consider well this providential act
that brought us both to be as one
stand amazed this all happened
by a divine hand, this has done

This is a wonder one has to behold
love fully pictured by this late walk
love so beautifully meant to share
memories that a kiss could not block

(walking hand in hand!)

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