"The Lone Wolf" by Alfred von Wierusz-Kowalski‘While Unheard Anthems Raise’ and Other Poetry by Roy E. Peterson The Society December 30, 2021 Beauty, Poetry 14 Comments . While Unheard Anthems Raise Nature has a panoply __Of instruments it plays. The forests form the canopy __Uplifting arms in praise. Woodwinds play the melody __Blowing on the reeds. Cold sleet plays the timpani __While thunder shakes the trees. Icicles are tinkling bells __As winter keeps the pace. A dirge is playing in the dells __With bullfrogs on the bass. Somber wolves are on the prowl __Searching for their game; They join the winds in savage howl, __Singing of their claim. Stars are sparkling in the ice; __The strobe lights of life’s praise. Nature is alive and dead __While unheard anthems raise. . . Whistling Wistful Winter Winds Whistling wistful winter winds Tussling through the trembling trees Tell a torrid tale of time Lifting little lovelorn leaves. . . LTC Roy E. Peterson is a writer, retired U.S. Army Military Intelligence Officer, Foreign Area Officer, and Foreign Commercial Officer who currently resides in Texas. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. CODEC Stories:Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) 14 Responses Joseph S. Salemi December 30, 2021 Two nice poems, and I especially like the second one with its conscious and expert alliteration. About the first poem: there is a problem with the fourth quatrain, which does not maintain the metrical flow of all the others. It happens because you close lines 1 and 3 with a feminine ending, which doesn’t occur in the other quatrains. As a result line 3 (“They join the wood in howling”) is not a proper tetrameter. I’d suggest the following change: Somber wolves are on the prowl Searching for their game; The join the winds in savage howl, Singing of their claim. Reply Roy E. Peterson December 30, 2021 Joseph, Thank you! I appreciate the suggested quatrain edit and will make the change with “They” to begin the penultimate line. Reply Sally Cook December 30, 2021 Dear Roy, I always appreciate the subtlety of your work. I do agree with Dr. Salemi about the “wolf” stanza, and would have mentioned it, I defer to his knowledge and simply say yes, he is correct. While the smaller poem is the one I prefer (for its tight-knit perfection), still, “While Unheard Anthems Raise” is the more ambitious of the two. I love your understanding of the crossover of the senses. You are a true poet, Reply Roy E. Peterson January 1, 2022 Wonderful comments and encouragement, Sally. I am like you in deferring to Dr. Salemi and his knowledge. I always appreciate your poetry, as well, as a true poet! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant December 30, 2021 Roy, this seems to be a different poetic direction for you and I love it. Nature is my salvation and the song of nature, the skill of the orchestra you depict in “While Unheard Anthems Raise” is magnificent. When I am troubled and cannot sleep, I always listen to British birdsong and light rain… its melody calms and soothes. I love the way the wolves “join the winds in savage howl”… I would much rather hear the howl of a wolf than the foxes that screamed like banshees at the end of my UK garden. Like Joe, I love the expert alliteration in “Whistling Wistful Winter Winds”. I particularly like the closing line. Great stuff! Thank you! Reply Roy E. Peterson January 1, 2022 I love your personal connection with nature and enjoyment of the sounds that soothe. I can only imagine the foxes screaming like banshees and disturbing you. I greatly appreciate your encouraging and insightful comments! Reply Yael December 30, 2021 Very nice and enjoyable poems! I love that the nature scenes focus on the sounds instead of the sights, which is less common. Reply Roy E. Peterson January 1, 2022 Fascinating thought about the focus on nature sounds versus scenes. Thank you for your kind comments! Reply Peter Hartley December 31, 2021 Roy – These two poems are stunningly atmospheric and are perfectly headed by a wonderful painting I’ve not seen before and feel that I should have. As Yael writes above it is unusual to concentrate on the sounds of winter over what we can see. These poems demonstrate everything that makes poetry better to read aloud than prose. Reply Roy E. Peterson January 1, 2022 I am doubly blessed and honored by the wonderful comments you made. I consider you one of the great living poets. Reply Cynthia Erlandson December 31, 2021 “Lifting little lovelorn leaves” is marvelous, for both its sound and its imagery. Reply Roy E. Peterson January 1, 2022 You always provide a lift to my spirits! Thank you, Cynthia! Reply David Watt January 1, 2022 These are two very nice poems Roy. I particularly like the alliteration in your second piece. Sometimes, alliteration can come across as forced. Your use of alliteration is unforced and effective. Reply Roy E. Peterson January 1, 2022 Those are special comments, David. I did not start out to write with alliteration, but realized after writing the verse that most of the words already were alliterative. 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Joseph S. Salemi December 30, 2021 Two nice poems, and I especially like the second one with its conscious and expert alliteration. About the first poem: there is a problem with the fourth quatrain, which does not maintain the metrical flow of all the others. It happens because you close lines 1 and 3 with a feminine ending, which doesn’t occur in the other quatrains. As a result line 3 (“They join the wood in howling”) is not a proper tetrameter. I’d suggest the following change: Somber wolves are on the prowl Searching for their game; The join the winds in savage howl, Singing of their claim. Reply
Roy E. Peterson December 30, 2021 Joseph, Thank you! I appreciate the suggested quatrain edit and will make the change with “They” to begin the penultimate line. Reply
Sally Cook December 30, 2021 Dear Roy, I always appreciate the subtlety of your work. I do agree with Dr. Salemi about the “wolf” stanza, and would have mentioned it, I defer to his knowledge and simply say yes, he is correct. While the smaller poem is the one I prefer (for its tight-knit perfection), still, “While Unheard Anthems Raise” is the more ambitious of the two. I love your understanding of the crossover of the senses. You are a true poet, Reply
Roy E. Peterson January 1, 2022 Wonderful comments and encouragement, Sally. I am like you in deferring to Dr. Salemi and his knowledge. I always appreciate your poetry, as well, as a true poet! Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant December 30, 2021 Roy, this seems to be a different poetic direction for you and I love it. Nature is my salvation and the song of nature, the skill of the orchestra you depict in “While Unheard Anthems Raise” is magnificent. When I am troubled and cannot sleep, I always listen to British birdsong and light rain… its melody calms and soothes. I love the way the wolves “join the winds in savage howl”… I would much rather hear the howl of a wolf than the foxes that screamed like banshees at the end of my UK garden. Like Joe, I love the expert alliteration in “Whistling Wistful Winter Winds”. I particularly like the closing line. Great stuff! Thank you! Reply
Roy E. Peterson January 1, 2022 I love your personal connection with nature and enjoyment of the sounds that soothe. I can only imagine the foxes screaming like banshees and disturbing you. I greatly appreciate your encouraging and insightful comments! Reply
Yael December 30, 2021 Very nice and enjoyable poems! I love that the nature scenes focus on the sounds instead of the sights, which is less common. Reply
Roy E. Peterson January 1, 2022 Fascinating thought about the focus on nature sounds versus scenes. Thank you for your kind comments! Reply
Peter Hartley December 31, 2021 Roy – These two poems are stunningly atmospheric and are perfectly headed by a wonderful painting I’ve not seen before and feel that I should have. As Yael writes above it is unusual to concentrate on the sounds of winter over what we can see. These poems demonstrate everything that makes poetry better to read aloud than prose. Reply
Roy E. Peterson January 1, 2022 I am doubly blessed and honored by the wonderful comments you made. I consider you one of the great living poets. Reply
Cynthia Erlandson December 31, 2021 “Lifting little lovelorn leaves” is marvelous, for both its sound and its imagery. Reply
David Watt January 1, 2022 These are two very nice poems Roy. I particularly like the alliteration in your second piece. Sometimes, alliteration can come across as forced. Your use of alliteration is unforced and effective. Reply
Roy E. Peterson January 1, 2022 Those are special comments, David. I did not start out to write with alliteration, but realized after writing the verse that most of the words already were alliterative. Reply
