Late Night Poetry
James Picard shares his original poetry, which he has been writing for over four decades. He explains how he accumulated boxes of poetry books and scattered papers, and now decides to share his creative work with listeners. Each episode features his poetic creations, offering a personal and heartfelt look at his work.
Episodes
Episode 267 - “How to Feast on the Day”
You are alive. Don’t just go through the motions… feast on the day. People are running everywhere, going somewhere important. But you’re not going anywhere important… so you win.
Episode 266 - “How Did I Get Here”
Sometimes you just end up somewhere and you can’t figure out how you got there. Some destinations, some rooms, some moments catch you off guard and you ask yourself, “How did I get here?”. Stumbling through life till you find a place you not only remember getting to but where you feel like you belong.
Episode 265 - “The Flower”
Flowers are definitely nature’s gift to us all. They start in the dark soil with nothing but determination and a dream. Patient and vigilant until their bloom shines brightly and takes our breath away.
Episode 264 - “The Coffee Man”
Coffee … is there anything better? Anytime night or day … because as the Coffee Man says, “You gotta be able to depend on something.”
Episode 263 - “Breathe”
Breathing … what an incredible mystery. When you’re scared you hold your breath, when you’re in love you sometimes forget to breathe at all. But that breath is all yours … keep breathing deeply, we may not think about it… but it truly keeps us living each and every day.
Episode 262 - “The End of a Long Day”
Some days are long and it's a good time to finally relax and enjoy sun as it tips its hat and says so long till tomorrow. No more decisions... nowhere else to be. And that is a beautiful thing.
Episode 261 - “The Violinist of Auschwitz”
Tonight’s poem was based on an ink drawing I did of a violinist in one of the darkest places in human history… Auschwitz. It is about hope and compassion for himself and for those prisoners around him. His music shines like a beacon and injects the strength that is needed to make it through another day.
Episode 260 - “The Mars Bar” A tribute to David Marsden
A tribute to the late great David Marsden, aka The Mars Bar, who introduced me to a world of music through his late night radio voice when I was a teenager growing up in beside Lake Ontario. I was fortunate enough to call him a friend and am grateful our paths crossed later in life. It’s hard when the good ones pass on … especially those that shone so brightly.
Episode 259 - “I Can See Tomorrow Coming”
Life is full of ups and downs but I always try and keep my chin up… so high I sometimes get a nosebleed … but at least from here I can see tomorrow coming.
Episode 258 - “Sleep”
This poem was written for all the night owls, insomniacs and early morning worriers … I hope you finally drift off to sleep … but until then, here’s a little fuel for your tired soul.
Episode 257 - “Don’t Breathe a Word of This”
My family thought I’d grow up to be an eccentric… but I’ve got thoughts to share with you … just don’t breathe a word of this to anyone… just sit back and listen.
Episode 256 - “Coffee”
Coffee … that magical heavenly elixir that can help you start your day or help you when you can’t sleep and need to get a few more things done or even just become a warm friend to sit beside you in the quiet of life. This one is for the dreamers, the night owls or anyone else who’s ever found a little bit of heaven in a warm mug of coffee. Sit back … get comfortable and enjoy …,’Coffee’
Episode 255 - “ The Artist”
I never completely fit into this world. I felt better in my own world of creativity … creating something out of nothing and calling it beautiful before anyone else could tell me it wasn’t …
Episode 254 - “The Beauty of Silence”
The artist paints at night because it’s quiet … He knows things from spending most of his life in silent solitude. He knows that is there is a beauty in silence that so many are eager to fill … but that’s missing the point entirely.
Episode 253 - “Burning the Midnight Oil”
I was hoping I’d run into you when I walked around the forgotten city this evening. I’d brought a bag with me that I wanted to give to you, so you can imagine my delight when I saw you underneath the street lamp with that stray dog … sometimes things just work out.
Episode 252 - “I’ll Be With You”
If I wanted time to stand still , I’d just have to be with you. Magical and memorable things happen when together … and that is a beautiful thing.
Episode 251 - “I Found God In a Pawnshop”
Sometimes you can find God in the most unexpected places. For me it was in a pawnshop in Nashville … and not a moment too soon.
Episode 250 - “Goodnight and Good Morning”
A deep sleep allows our souls to connect and set off on another adventure. Dancing, skipping stones and collecting starfish just another timeless night until the morning calls them back.
Episode 249 - “The Forgotten Soldier”
His memories of the war keep him awake, or maybe they’re nightmares. He’s alone and stays up till the sun comes up … and he questions why.
Episode 248 - “Still Can’t Get To Sleep”
Sometimes sleep eludes me … my roof has been leaking nightmares and I’m looking for my keys. I just want to close my eyes and sleep … but the night has other plans.
Episode 247 - “Sleeping on the Tilt-A-Whirl”
I have many fond memories of the tilt-a-whirl from my childhood … but if you told me years later as an adult I’d be sleeping on one with the ‘fat man’ from the circus I’d have said you were crazy.
Episode 246 - “To The Soul I Keep Finding In Everything”
Sometimes a soul is with you in everything you see and do. It was with you before your were bodies were alive … and sometimes the pull that’s always there will lead you to the place where poems begin.
Episode 245 - “I’ll See You Soon”
I’m trying my best and am determined to see you. I even traded my shadow for bus fare … Don’t worry… I’ll definitely see you soon.
Episode 244 - “The Night Took My Keys”
One must always be alert and aware when the night falls upon us. Thank goodness I was, because even though strange things were happening, I had noticed that the night had taken my keys while things were continually trying to distract me.
Episode 243 - “First and Very Last”
An entire lifetime began on the day that we met and the first time I saw you I knew you were my first and very last.
Episode 242 - “Like Life Itself”
A beautiful sunflower… so vibrant and bright warmed my entire kitchen, even when it was raining. She brought life into my room and made me smile even as she was slowly lowering her head and coming to the end of her existence… in hindsight it was a kind of metaphor for life itself.
Episode 241 - “Stop Believing in Buses”
A random poem fuelled by my imagination, too much caffeine and not enough sleep… enjoy.
Episode 240 - “The Cat Who Saved My Life”
She came into my life on a rainy evening and helped me through my day to day existence in a sour world. The quiet will never be the same again.
Episode 239 - “I’m Missing You”
Sometimes the absence of someone you love is all consuming … where even the wind whispers your name and my soul maps out my steps until I see you again.
Episode 238 - “I’m Not Going Anywhere”
I’ll always keep drawing, even if I’m tired at 3am … but I’ll always think of you at the end of every evening while I sit by the chair by the window. I’ll always be here for you, I’m not going anywhere.
Episode 237 - “Looking Back On My Memories”
As life moves forward, sometimes felt at a quickening pace, I look back on my memories which seem like yesterday and a lifetime ago simultaneously. This poem is my attempt to catch those thoughts and memories before they become more cloudy than they already are.
Episode 236 - “The Songs In My Life Are Beautiful”
Songs are like memories and memories are like songs. I’ve left my shadow behind to keep you company and I always keep my promise to you as it makes the songs that more beautiful.
Episode 235 - “Love and the Butterfly”
To experience something so ethereal and rare can become unexplainable. Like a butterfly trying to explain to a caterpillar what it’s like to fly. You can’t understand unless you’ve experienced it … felt it … lived it. How beautiful to know what a love, that’s more than love, feels like.
Episode 234 - “Tomato Juice”
Is there any other juice that’s more confusing and refreshing? A vegetable or a fruit… Is the verdict in? It seems so otherworldly… so … caught in the middle of some very popular juices. It fills the gap of the time/space/juice continuum. Enjoy.
Episode 233 - “I’ll Respond With a Smile”
A recent poem on tonight’s episode entitled, “I’ll Respond With a Smile”. Read this evening in an exhaustive and tired state after consuming a sleeping pill… but I’m still here smiling.
Episode 232 - “In Remembrance”
I fondly look back at my life full of incredible remembrance… enjoy. “In Remembrance”
Episode 231 - “We Remain Here Forever’
A poem that came to me suddenly while I was just starting to fall asleep last night. It’s about searching for your person, finding them and then realizing that you’re finally and forever where you want to be. I hope you truly enjoy this poem.
Episode 230 - “The Devil’s Garage Sale”
After seeing a garage sale poster tacked to a pole that read, everything must go, I went to look for unusual items, bargains and oddities at the Devil’s garage sale. He was going to take some time off, maybe even retire he said. He was wanting to get rid of so many items he’ had been collecting over the centuries. I came across many items, but one in particular caught my eye… and the devil himself
Episode 229 - “Who Knew”
Sometimes if you are a skinny skinny or a fatty fatty or even a shorty shorty, no one is aware. So many things go under the radar in life and no one really knows… but on the odd occasion …
Episode 228 - “The Dream of Dreams We Dream”
A poem of dedication that I just wrote this morning. “The Dream of Dreams We Dream” … enjoy.
Episode 227 - “Violins Playing” and “Dream of You”
Two poems selected randomly from my second book of poetry entitled, “A Pilgrimage to My Soul”‘Violins Playing’ / ‘Dream of You’
Episode 226 - “My Dear Friend Death”
Death has been a good friend of mine ever since I was a young child. He’s always been there for me, if I ever needed him. I can always tell when he’s close by as I can smell him … but he doesn’t smell the way you might think he would … it’s much better than you may think.
Episode 225 - “Grateful for Every Animal I Meet”
I have always loved animals. I don’t trust someone who doesn’t love animals and I don’t trust someone who an animal doesn’t love. I love spending time with cats and dogs, horses, and goats… I love all animals. We could learn so much from them. they are so highly aware, kind, dedicated, and live in the moment. I’m grateful to be sharing the planet with animals, and I can honestly say I love animals
Episode 224 - “Coffee Cats”
This poem “Coffee Cats” was inspired by a series of ink drawings of cats drinking coffee. It started with one quirky cat drawn for fun while I enjoyed my morning coffee and soon the one drawing turned into ten … then twenty, then thirty and now its much past fifty or sixty I’m sure. Each cat is a unique character and now many have names. We all get along famously and the inspiration we share, alon
Episode 223 - “Forgetting My Madness” and “If You Decide to Stay”
Two random poems read from my second book of poetry, ‘A Pilgrimage To My Soul”. “Forgetting My Madness” and “If You Decide to Stay”
Episode 222 - “More Than A Few Occasions”
Magical and wonderful things can happen … but when they are happening on more than a few occasions, you know the magic is real and floating through the cosmos can become a daily occurrence.
Episode 221 - “The Woman of My Dreams”
Sometimes your dreams will come true… sometimes your bones tell your heart what has happened, especially if your heart is floating on a beautiful breeze … uplifted and content in a way that has changed your entire being.
Episode 220 - “Civilization Isn’t Always So Civil”
This poem is an observation of the current world we are living in. Watching, reading and listening to the news over the last few days has led me to thinking that the world in June of 2026 is an accurate picture of the human species going completely insane. I cannot make sense of it … and most definitely … civilization is not at all behaving civilly. Enjoy.
Episode 219 - “The Why That Holds The How”
This poem was written after I re-read Victor Frankl’s book, ‘Man’s Search For Meaning’. It’s such a powerful read. I had first read it when I was a teenager and it definitely had a huge impact on me and adjusted how I saw the world. I’ve read it a few times since then but did a fresh dive into it very recently. Victor Frankl’s observational quote after spending time in Auschwitz was, “ Anyone who
Episode 218 - “My Heart Has Roots”
Every once in a while destiny is right on time and brings you to a place that feels so much like home, your heart plants roots. And that is a rare and beautiful thing.
Episode 217 - “The Hidden Flame”
No matter how dark the world may get, there’s always light … for darkness is just a room God uses, to show you where the flame was hiding all along.
Episode 216 - “Red and Thread”
There is magic in the garden and magic has no rules. A dancing ladybug and a spinning spider can weave a love stronger than the weather, if you listen and watch close enough.
Episode 215 - “Won’t You Grieve With Me”
Grief is an interesting thing. It creeps up on you when you least expect it. It comes in the quiet hours when the world’s gone still and the memories get loud. It comes in the middle of the day while you’re just minding your own business. This poem doesn’t have any answers, but no, you’re not alone when grief tapped you on the shoulder and whispers a name directly into your heart.
Episode 214 - “Flying Above the World”
I had a dream I was flying above the world and I had the most wonderful perspective of the earth. Nothing was broken and nothing was wrong … I wish everyone could fly like I did in my dream. I think it would make the world a better place.
Episode 213 - “The Unsolved Villisca Murders”
This poem was inspired by the Villisca axe murders that occurred during the early morning of June 10, 1912, in the town of Villisca, Iowa, in the USA. The six members of the Moore family and two guests were found bludgeoned to death inside the Moore residence. All eight victims, including six children, had severe head wounds from an axe. The evidence pointed to one suspect… Reverend George Kelly w
Episode 212 - “A Glass Bubble”
A bubble made of glass and rainwater can hold a world unlike the world has ever seen. A place where time no longer exists and peace and happiness are a blissful consequence of being inside.
Episode 211 - “Too Much Madness in the World”
The world contains far too much madness. I now just want the world to leave me alone so I can enjoy my coffee in peace… sitting in a darkened corner and reliving memories of walking through the streets of Paris thinking about Place de Clichy and tales of Josephine Baker.
Episode 210 - “The Universe Hums Back”
A magical connection through time and space with a vibration that resonates to the heavens. Could anything be more beautiful?
Episode 209 - “I Feel Like A Modern Day Sisyphus”
Life can be a struggle. Like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the mountain, the challenges in life never stop … the key, I believe, is to always look for the beauty even when the journey seems impossible.
Episode 208 - “Catching Fireflies and Memories”
There is an older couple who walk to the beat of a different drum. They live in a place where the entire world is a magic trick and no one ever told them the magic was supposed to end. They collect and capture things for living room shelf … including sea shells and fireflies and the best memories you could ever hope to find.
Episode 207 - “The Secrets People Take To Their Graves “
Some people live with a facade they project to the world and keep hidden secrets that they take with them to their graves. It’s such an odd way to live but astonishing what they take with them when they finally leave for good.
Episode 206 - “The Graveyard”
The graveyard is its own little city, filled with all kinds of people at all different ages. I find graveyards so beautiful and peaceful and quiet. I’m fascinated by the stories each person has and what it was that led them to this final resting spot. I love reading tombstones and feel a certain kinship when I spot my name or date of birth. I feel I’m among friends there, even if I don’t know them
Episode 205 - “The Wonderful Place”
Somethings are beyond beautiful and come to fruition in the most wonderful place. A place where dreams come true and though the door is locked, you have the only key made up of memories and the smell from her sweater
Episode 204 - “Saving All My Love For You”
This poem is about love. A love that can only be sent to the one who holds the key to your heart. Patience, determination and understanding that your aim is true and though the sack may get heavy … it carries all my love for you.
Episode 203 - “You Are Always Right Beside Me” / “Together”
Two poems this evening about connecting with a soul in a deep and meaningful way. In reality, in dreams, in life and in death.
Episode 202 -“My Never Ending Story”
Some stories were never meant to end. They follow you throughout your day, your week … your life.
Episode 201 - “Bad Liver and Broken Hearts”
I’ve got a bad liver and a broken heart. It seems like life’s compass led me straight into the rocks. That’s what happens sometimes… and you just have to drag your feet to the end of where life takes you.
Episode 200 - “I See Her”
Sometimes a real love will remain with you throughout your life. It’s the one that sticks to your ribs like a good barbecue dinner. One that goes feral and will not allow any other to come near. It could very well be the most incredible experience you’ll ever come to know.
Episode 199 - “Hold Fast”
As you travel through life, storms will always appear. Some you will see coming, some will catch you unaware. The best thing you can do is to ‘hold fast’. It may be the only thing that allows you to survive. Hold on and hold fast is all you can do when riding out the storms of life.
Episode 198 - “A Love That Survives Lifetimes”
A poem about a rare love. The kind you dream of. The kind that is an unstoppable connection. The kind that reshapes your world… the kind the survives lifetimes.
Episode 197 - “I Begin Anew”
Everyday we wake up to a new magical day to experience. If you look closely and delicately enough you notice everything is slightly different, as appearances can be misleading. Each day is a new world to experience and a true blessing. All one has to do is open one’s eyes and one’s heart.
Episode 196 - “Sensible Shoes”
Tonight’s poem came to me in a flash of inspiration while I was sorting papers and receipts… A short poem of sage advice … and always, always wear sensible shoes.
Episode 195 - “I Look For You Everywhere”
Have you ever missed someone so much that you look for them everywhere you go? Hoping to catch a glimpse of something present inside a past memory. You can feel them close by and you look for them in everyone and everything. If so you may relate to this poem entitled… “I Look For You Everywhere.”
Episode 194 - “One Wish”
If you get granted a wish, sometimes it’s best to listen to your heart and wish for something that brings back a beautiful memory. A time where you felt the most joy and happiness and warmth and peacefulness and your entire being simply floated on air.
Episode 193 - “This Seat is Taken”
Sometimes, if one is fortunate enough, dedicated enough and wise enough, a heart waits for someone very special. A soul waits for a divine connection and once connected … can never be filled by another.
Episode 192 - “That Empty Feeling”
Sometimes that empty feeling that you feel deep inside cannot be quenched no matter how much food you ingest… no matter how hearty the meal or how sweet and abundant the desserts… sometimes that empty feeling comes from a place deep inside your heart that is missing someone so dear to you that the ache never goes away.
Episode 191 - “I Was Home … I Want To Go Home Again”
Sometimes in life, if one is fortunate, you can feel truly at home. When you lose that, there is a daily ache and a constant melancholy that follows you from the moment you wake up … and all you want is to go home again.
Episode 190 - “More Than Words Can Say”
Sometimes, if you happen to be fortunate enough, your heart can understand more that the mind can fathom and more than words can say.
Episode 189 - “In the Threads of Time”
Sometimes connections are built on something deeper than we know and no matter what happens, it always feels so right.
Episode 188 - “It Happened Too Fast”
Each day blends into the next and even though we know what’s coming, we aren’t fully prepared to leave. We all must eventually go however and I wish you were here with me … and I wish you were there with me too.
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