Best Len Poems
O God of the universes of Creation as a whole
I raise my hands; and open my heart and soul.'
Prostrate I call upon your power, to bless my
Friends in these long dark hours' these days
Long abhorred stand now at their doors, I ask
You gird their spirits with strength; enlighten their
Minds that they drive hence' each evil time that
They may face, pray turn them into typhoons
That will remove each trace; those of fear, of doubt
and all false pride, beside them; I ask your power
Resides, of your angel throng assign to them
More than they ever need, these women and men.'
Andrea Deitrich Michael Tor Heidi sands Connie
Marcum Wong Judy Ball Bill Baker Robert Ligouri
Joseph May Harry Horseman Brother Jacob
Sally Eslinger Sara Kendrick Sam Kaufman Joe
Dimino Len Gasun Pangiota Romios James
Marshall Goff Billy the Kidster Vince Suzdail
Jnr Kim Rodriuges Beta Augustin Rob Carmac
Robert Lindley Brandy Nichole Laura Leiser
And last, but not least B J Legros Kelly '
Much Love to all.'
May they each put to flight any 5000 that come
Up against them in any honourable venture they
Embark upon, be that written spoken or intimated
May you be with them each one dear Lord in Jesus
Name with the Holy Spirit as witness.'
Written: May 2nd, 2026, for a contest sponsored by Len Gasun
****************
If a house is brimming with lovely delight,
where laughter lights the day, and love is light.
Grandkids gather, giftings glimmer of grace,
their winsome wonder warming all the space.
Good children, grown, still gentle in their ways,
bring balm to burdens, light to lingering days;
A family’s fervor—full, familiar, true—
turns simple hours into something new.
In this sweet symphony of kin and cheer,
life’s luster deepens, dazzling year by year.
Poetry Soup Hero's
Poets with golden ink and pens
You make us move forward with your inspiration
With kind an honest, encouragement and compliments
Small act of caring all which has the potential to turn a life around
Peter Duggan
Vera Duggan
Michael Tor
Demetrios Trifiatis
Broken Wings
Andrea Dietrich
Carrie Richards
nette onclaud
JAN ALLISON
boddie, eric
John Wulf
Sandra Haight
Casarah Nance
Emile Pinet
John lawless
Abdul Malik
Julia Ward
Kim Patrice Nunez
Olive Eloisa Guillermo
hunjeri, njeri
Anne Lise Andresen
Dr. Upma A. Sharma
Ian Guyler
Mystic Rose
Tim Ryerson
arthur vaso
Paul Callus
Frederic Parker
Keith Trestrail
Richard Lamoureux
SEREN ROBERTS
Joseph May
Robert Stoner Jr
Silent One
Laura Leiser
Faye Gibson
Viv Wigley
Rhonda Johnson-Saunders
Lycia Harding
Bev Smith
Tim Smith
Poet Destroyer A
Janice Canerdy
Robert L. Hinshaw
Teddy Kimathi
Kim Merryman
Thabang Ngoma
Connie Marcum Wong
FJ Thomas
Judy Konos
Sneha RV The literature lover
James Inman
Sara Kendrick
Eileen Manassian
Adam Hunter
Bill Lindsay
george seal
Barbara Campbell
Kelly Deschler
Robert Lindley
Carol Eastman
David Fisher
Barbara Gorelick
The Grahamburglar
Shadow Hamilton
david mohn
Pandita Sanchez
Isaiah Zerbst
Balveen Cheema
peter holmes
SKAT A
len carber
Warner Baxter
Darlene Gifford
CayCay Jennings
Deb Wilson
Alexis Y.
Jerry T Curtis
Aiyah de Torres
James Fraser
Anoucheka Gangabissoon
Debbie Guzzi
craig cornish
harry horsman
Ruben O.
Charlotte Jade Puddifoot
Mohamed Adel
Lee Carter
Dan Cwiak
Leonora Galinta
olusegun Arowolo
Edwin Hofert
Roy Jerden
Diane M Quinlan
john beharry
Carolyn Devonshire
Mark J. Halliday
Joyce Johnson
Hannington Mumo
Anulaxmi Nayak
Mary Oliver Rotman
Lei Strauss
michael tor
Mark Trichet
Mark Woods
Ronald Zammit
Laura Breidenthal
Andrew Crisci
Raha, Miraj
Phool, Maharani
Johnson, Megan
Graves, Allan
Ngo, Meline
Ramos, Tiffany
Rosenthal, Allie
Borghei, Niki
Tripp, Criss
Reyes, Thomas
Rajaratnam, Gunadevi
Braxton, Shanda
Barry, Stephen
Prophet, James
Titus, Luwi
Leach, Michele
LeBlanc, Michelle
maximax, nicole
Kwinana, Ndikho
Turse, Patricia
Dazh, Ezell
Luke, Neena
Brown, Verna
Catie Lindsey
Bongani Zungu
Eve T.M.M.
Lin Lane
And so many more!
Team Poetry Soup :)
Not For Contest
A group of older men gather
once a week to talk about life
after a heart attack.
Old Len chews tobacco still
and tells jokes in a voice so low
no one can hear the punch line.
Another man asks Len
to talk louder so they all
can hear the punch line.
That’s when they discover
Len's been telling the same joke
at every meeting, over and over.
The joke’s about a loan officer
who lends a man $10,000 for a
face lift that turns out so good
the lender can’t find him.
With heart attacks in common,
the men yell “Tell it, again, Len!”
Donal Mahoney
Trumpeting sounds of elephants
Pleasant rides, tricks, and children’s chants
In a place called Thailandia
The tourists come from Sandia
They visit their uncles and aunts
Ride the bulls, play, touch, watch them paint
Unaware of treatment, restraint
A few people saw the dark side
The brutal industry must hide
You are led into tours quite quaint
Taken away from her mother,
Trained to toil for another
Enslaved as a beast of burden
Sweet baby calf called Lily Len
White as milk, she’s like no other
Len’s father a combat hero
And although she would never know
He, equipped with iron armor
Knee pads, and sounds of drums of war
Strongest was he, true warrior
In colorful costume adorned
For royals to ride she was born
Her spine aches, he is too much weight
Len resigned to this awful fate
Between two worlds she is now torn
Crying for a hopeful sign
Recalls Airvata the divine
He, the legend water child
Len prays to him so beguiled
And in her sleep their souls align
Airvata reaches down with his trunk
To the underworld she’d been sunk
Sucked up and sprays her in a cloud
Awakened she feels safe and proud
Happily sprayed with muddy gunk
Separated at birth, now three
Len is saved, taken to Nuwee
A lovely rainforest in Lanark
Near a river, Phant’s Nature Park
Where she washes, where she roams free
I am a foodie, I must confess, I swim a few laps for exercise
Along come the Mollusk, and to my pleasant surprise
I have no restraint and they look so yummy
I just open my jaws wide, and fill up my tummy
Holy Mackerel, they make quite the feast!
Unlike that deepwater whale; Moby Vic, that lumbering beast
A real blow show, they eat any freak’n thing
Whale diet: Squid, Krill, Larvae, what distaste they bring!
Ah, catching up to the guys, what are they circling ‘round?
Heya Tom, Bill, GW, Anil. Rob, l see you’ve gained a pound
“I’m on a sea-food diet, I see food, I eat it!” Hee hee hee
Yep, you may want to stick to your day job, try a sea-shanty!
Look over there boys, the Seahorses, I hear they work for LYFT
Harry, how’s business, break for some sushi? California Roll, a gift
You may wanna giddy up, plenty of shrimp crawling beneath you
I know how much the Seahorse love to munch crustaceans too
"Shrimp—cockroaches of the sea! Not a kosher food"
Okay GW, what do you eat, my friend, set the mood
Gefilte fish recipe; grind the salmon, red snapper, codfish,
Onions, carrots, add eggs, sugar, salt, white pepper, in a dish
Stir in ice water, add matzo meal and chop, boil, voila, gefilte fish!
To the right of us, why it’s Lady L, my, she is swell
Small crabs on her menu, anything in the sand that dwell
Blowfish is a species that feeds on poison, dangerous to eat
They can’t hunt, they call ‘em puffers, just one puff’s a real treat
Anil, do you believe in sea nymphs on a blue oceanic parade?
Yes, I vision the lovely face of Wendy on the frame of a mermaid
Nil, come on now, aren’t you married, mate
OK, Tom, I’m going home, I won’t be late, I won’t be late
To the right of us the Starfish, greet the ladies of the sea
How they brighten the day, on display, as charming as can be
Pangie, Valsa, Andrea, Paula, Len, Kim, Eve and Gina
I know how you love snails, I bring escargot straight from the Marina
And so, my friends, another lovely day. Join us for our usual Activities and Brunch
6/11/22
Third Place
A Merger With Food Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Natasha L Scragg
Through graveyard
meandering, just
me and Dad
stories sad
abbreviated down to
mostly names and dates
So we tell
their stories by turns
like poor Duane
Dinwiddie
died at age thirty-three of
bee sting allergy
So tragic
how she caught a chill
Angeline
age nineteen
who died before her wedding
day, her groom grieves still
Or the war
heroes, Frank and Finn
taken in
the prime of
life, no child or wife, they were
just children themselves
Gunther Gold
did what he was told
gullible
on a dare
lost his life to win respect
bullies didn't care
Bartleby
hypochondriac
cough, sneeze, hack
was ignored
by the whole village, but he
got them back- with plague
Len Kramer
the lion tamer
tried to save
his wife when
she unwisely came in, but-
got eaten instead
Philetus
on flying trapeeze
an ace- the
very best
until he had to sneeze- then
sadly laid to rest
Then Daddy
looks at me and I
look at him
giving in
to sudden gales of laughter
glad to be alive
(NOTE: Although I listed this as a Free Verse, it is actually in Shadorma form...)
A perfect cup of coffee
launches the perfect day,
but coffee must be ground to bits
completely
smithereened and thoroughly crushed
no trace of completeness,
to release the aroma
that permeates my senses
my maligned sensibilities
distorting both.
I am grateful for these distortions
distractions
As an old perception attached to them
brings hope, that perfection might bring tranquility
or that perfection brings peace
space
lebensraum
Aroma's that can dull
the internal microscope len
that i'm under this morning
and every morning
my sick friend and perpetual free will
gets granted clemency today
a slight reprieve,
momentarly granted insight
on how to let go,
get sloppy
live a life worth living
"When your down and out you need some Joe Bonamassa."
Quote by _ Constance
His music is raunchy and moody, his voice raspy yet smooth. If I close my
eyes I am in a rundown bar in the middle of nowhere down and out on luck.
His name is Joe Leonard Bonamassa, an American born blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. Born in 1977, he grew up in Utica, New York, USA.
His parents Len and Delia were avid blues music fans and owned a music
store and this is where Joe got his love for guitars. He started playing guitar
at four years old. At twelve he was playing with B.B. King and has played
with many notable artists. He has fifteen solo albums, and eleven of them
have reached No.1 on the Billboard Blues Chart. He has been nominated for
three Grammy Awards. He has his own record label called Keeping Blues
Alive Records where he supports blues musicians and their music.
Something interesting about Joe is his vast collection of guitars and amps,
four hundred or more. Most are vintage. He has been buying them all his
life. A room in his home is called the Bona-seum ! He loves his Fender
Telecaster that he nicknamed Bludgeon. But, there is another rare and
valuable guitar that he uses in concerts, a 1958 Gibson, Flying V, he calls
Amos after the original owner Amos Arthur. I love this man, his music, his
message. He can play the blues for me anytime. He keeps his private life
private, I like that about him !
random lyrics from
Mind's Eye
Joe Bonamassa
help I'm going down
need someone
to slow the spiral down
reach up, dig deeper
I'm haunted by memories
you can'nt see
_____________________
May 07, 2023
Poetry/Bio/Joe Bonamassa - Blues Guitarist
Copyright Protected, ID 05-1545-662-07
All Rights Reservered, 2023, Constance La France
Written for the Premiere contest, Joe Bonamassa Inspiration
sponsor, Robert James Liquori, Judged 05/07/2023
First Place
Program Sonnet
Integer, Parameter:: L=14, S=10
!L number of lines, S number of syllables per line
Character (Len=6):: Syl(L, S)
Character (Len=80):: Line (L)
Do I=1,L
Do J=1,S
Syl(I,J)=
! here is where you insert
! the poetic thought the computer
!cannot produce
Enddo
Enddo
Do I=1,L
Line(I)=Syl(I,1)
Do J=2,S
Line(I)=trim(Line(I))//trim(Syl(I,J))
Enddo
Enddo
! If you want a rhyming sonnet, start subroutine rhyme
If (line.eq.good) then
Keep
Else
Revise
Endif
Do I=1,L
Write (*,*) Line(I)
Enddo
End Program Sonnet
! October 16, 2018
! For contest all 'dim ones and zeros- A programming contest
! Sponsored by Brahn Bailey
The Most Cruel Disease
By Elton Camp
Len Mosley was quite a man in his day
Little bad about him could anyone say
The life he lived was anyone’s dream
He had everything in life, it did seem
Happy and alert when he was a child,
Len was cheerful and always smiled
He became a teen, handsome & strong
Little in his life turned out to be wrong
And his intelligence was exceptional too
With his IQ, there was little he couldn’t do
After college, Len returned and took a wife
The two came to have a happy family life
With four children the couple were blessed
And in his chosen career Len progressed
The high school principal he finally became
By work and integrity, he added to his name
When he grew older, a change all could see
He was no longer the man that he used to be
Len became confused as to what he should do
As time passed, even more severe it grew
The doctor’s sad diagnosis finally came in
“I’m sorry, but it is Alzheimer’s my friend.”
Len struggled against it as hard as he could
That it was hopeless, his family understood
Finally, his children he couldn’t even recognize
For all of the brightness and light left his eyes
His family took care of Len in his own home,
But he began to leave and alone he’d roam
He was unaware that danger had come near
When over a hill, a Mack truck did appear
Both horn and brakes the truck driver tried
But it was to no avail and that day Len died
Alzheimer’s disease had destroyed his mind
To Len, that fate was the one most unkind
BETRAYED
You waited for an opportunity
to leave me, my love could not make you stay,
You always loved not me, but vanity,
Pleasures of this world beckoned you away;
You broke my heart when you purposed to go,
I did not wish to hinder your freedom,
Unspoken words - "Don't go, I love you so",
You did not understand I had gone dumb;
Although entitled to all luxury,
You could never see that all mine was yours,
Now, haunting ever is your memory,
The pain you have given is beyond cures;
You could have enjoyed my love, had you stayed,
But now, my dear, yourself you have betrayed.
--------------03.10.16--------------
TRUE LOVE WAITS
Still I have the hope, you'll come back one day,
For after all, this is your own sweet home,
I'm looking for you, though you're far away
in a different land eager to roam;
I've been shedding tears, ever since you moved,
Crying for you in that far, lonely land,
Won't you turn your feet back? Have I not proved
my love for you? I wish you'd understand;
You threw away my love and my living,
Not deserving forgiveness, still I'm kind,
Love's not about receiving but giving,
That's why I'd like to tenderly remind;
With open arms, as long as I'm alive,
I shall wait for you, my dear, to arrive.
-------------17.10.16-------------
(English Sonnet)
(Largely inspired by Len Magee's song titled "The Prodigal")
I’m glad to see you my dear brother
How’s our mom- a very loving mother?
It’s been a year since you’ve sold me
To your friend with lots of money.
I miss our mom so much, I really do
I always remember her with our sweet duo
Whistling together our favorite melodies
Top of them are Do A Dear and Fur Elise.
Your mom is a cheerful dressmaker
I regard her as the best woman-whistler
She taught me four nice songs to sing
We’ve great duets while she was sewing.
While warbling, I hopped around my cage
Mom’s whistling tune concealed her old age
We blended in harmony, your pure delight
You saw me and gave a smile, so bright.
When Len your sister heard my song
She tried to follow but terribly wrong
Her wind was out of whistling tune
She has missing tooth, I reckoned.
Now, I’m a bird lagging behind my career
Your friend’s only talent is drinking beer
I’ve never heard him whistle or sing a song
Such a boring master to get along.
June 30, 2022 10.03pm
Tribute to our singing bird, Martin. He was sold because of his exceptional singing talent. Ifelt terribly sad upon learning what my brother did.
Personification- Pets Talking
Contest Judged: 7/1/2022 12:00:00 AM
Sponsored by: Constance La France
Place 3 (out of 4 multi-w)
Love without discretion
Remember so little so strong
Time with you makes me strong
You child my loves no wrong
Your the rock that holds me
I Len my my arm when you needath a shoulder to cry on
Your so fun an innocent the sun that takes the cloud
Your so cheerful I love you you make this parent proud .
Thanks sincerely, Tim kegley
There is a particular tree in the backyard that is named Thomas,
Strange that this tree and only this tree had longtime remained dormant,
All the other trees were budding and expressing fruitful promise,
Producing and flourishing with buds in the midst of foliage garment.
Many weeks it was lifeless while others were showing growth’s lineup,
If it had died, why not just cut it down and dig up the dead trunk,
Previous owner said to give it time, give it time, it would catch up,
And sure enough it did; it just had a sluggish display of *****.
Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to three plus seven,
That was the basis for dubbing the failing plant, Thomas-the-tree,
Thomas was slow coming around to believe Jesus had risen,
As the languid tree was slow in awakening to Spring’s beauty.
Nevertheless, once Thomas has seen Jesus, he caught up quickly,
By Pentecost, he had made up for lost time hiding and shaking,
A most dedicated disciple after he revived rightly,
Bearing a witness as strong as when Thomas-the-tree awakens.
It reminds of when Jesus announced after Lazarus had died,
“Are there not twelve hours of daylight?” Said the Lord, Author of the day,
Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble,” He replied,
For they see by this world’s light”; so hear His word of eternal sway.
There is urgency in following Jesus, and for good reason,
Procrastinating Christians don’t get far letting their faith decline,
Thomas was a learner who showed courage in following Jesus,
He knew that time was precious, too valuable to fall behind.
Thomas-the-tree now bears foliage as full as all the other trees,
Giving encouragement that God’s grace allows us all to catch up,
Thomas-the-tree reminds that we can trust a truth to great degree,
Though there are times we fall behind, Jesus gives us time to grow up
(Inspired by a true experience of my pastor, Dr. Len Keever, Pastor of First Baptist Church, Dunn, NC, who named a tree, Thomas-the-tree)