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Monthly Archives August 31, 2024

‘Government Waste’: A Poem by Warren Bonham for the Reagan Movie Premiere

The Society
August 31, 2024
Culture, Poetry
6 Comments
. Wisdom of Reagan: Government Waste “Government is like a baby: with a big appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.”  ---Ronald “The Gipper” Reagan The Gipper knew a thing or...

The 2024 Society of Classical Poets International Poetry Competition

The Society
August 31, 2024
Poetry, Poetry Contests
16 Comments
. "Thou, in our wonder and astonishment, Hast built thyself a livelong monument." ---John Milton, "On Shakespeare" First Prize: $2,000. Publication on the Society's website and Journal. . Submission Fee: $20...

The 2024 SCP International High School Poetry Competition

The Society
August 31, 2024
High School Submissions, Poetry, Poetry Contests
. “Thou, in our wonder and astonishment, Hast built thyself a livelong monument.” —John Milton, “On Shakespeare” First Prize: $200. Publication in the Society's website and The Society of Classical...

‘Observation’: A Poem by Margaret Brinton

The Society
August 31, 2024
Beauty, Love Poems, Poetry
9 Comments
. Observation ____Comes morning, __And fog fills the forest Where bluebirds are wet on the wings. ____The toadstools __Are soaking up moisture, One cricket in solitude sings. ____The fog lifts __And drifts...

‘Ode to the Zeer’: A Poem by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
August 30, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
. Ode to the Zeer Across the Sahel states, the humble zeer, A pear-shaped or full-bellied earthen pot Strains muddy water, turns it cool and clear Beneath a tree or other shady spot. Constructed from alluvium...

‘Autumn Fades’ and Other Poetry on Death by Joshua C. Frank

The Society
August 30, 2024
Alliterative, Beauty, Poetry, Villanelle
20 Comments
. Autumn Fades The orange leaves decay to crinkling gray, And sunsets sink and fade the clouds to black. “You’ll see them all in Heaven,” so they say. The decades start to dwindle, day by day. Time...

‘Oversimplification’ and Other Poems by Russel Winick

The Society
August 29, 2024
Culture, Poetry
12 Comments
. Oversimplification What so many people tend to say or write, Reduces complex issues of today, To merely simple packages of black or white, Oblivious to present shades of grey. . . A Permanent New Season I...

‘The First Fallen Leaf’ and Other Poetry by Pamela Ruggiero

The Society
August 29, 2024
Children's, Culture, Poetry
23 Comments
. The First Fallen Leaf A single leaf begins to fall. He wants to be the first of all. His brethren strain to join his fun. For now he’s still the only one. He floats and sways inside the breeze, but,...

‘Hard To Tell’ and Other Poems by Mark Stellinga

The Society
August 28, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
16 Comments
. Hard To Tell With attributes that only those who know him understand, A countenance deceptive, and a being hard to gauge, Within what seems indifference, in the still and quiet man May lurk a warrior’s...

‘It’s Only a Thought’: A Poem by Richard Bailey Johnson

The Society
August 28, 2024
Love Poems, Poetry, Rondel
7 Comments
. It’s Only a Thought It’s only a thought to help pass the night, But what if our love should come to naught? Christ! That would be an unbearable plight. __It’s only a thought. But thoughts can stir...

‘Leave’: A Poem by Martin Elster

The Society
August 27, 2024
Beauty, Children's, Poetry
10 Comments
. Leave Above the land, suspended, green and grand and splendid, we furnish food for trees, whisper with the breeze till cold winds bluster in and we turn harlequin. Now that we’re on the ground, you tote...

‘Tranquil Tokonoma’ and Other Poetry by Phillip Whidden

The Society
August 27, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
28 Comments
. Tranquil Tokonoma One thing a perfect purple rose cannot Accomplish is a type of sadness.  Man Is best at that.  That is mankind’s special blot. The plants and animals have learned to ban Such...

‘August Foraging’: A Poem by Margaret Coats

The Society
August 26, 2024
Culture, Poetry
28 Comments
. August Foraging “It’s hot, it’s dry. No fun outdoors; No fungi, flowers, foliage, fruit For us to eat where Nature stores Wild food. The month is destitute.” Now, novice, look about you. Woodland...

‘Emergence’: A Poem by Venessa Lee-Estevez

The Society
August 26, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
17 Comments
. Emergence A child within the chrysalis, __awaiting to emerge. __Fruition and desire, __hoping to converge. The years prove long and arduous __and obstacles demanding, __with journeys full of strife __and...

‘New Directions, or Deviations?’: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
August 25, 2024
Essays, Poetry
25 Comments
. New Directions, or Deviations? by Joseph S. Salemi Many years ago I read an account of a discussion between Ezra Pound and an interviewer concerning his poetic career. I don’t recall where it was printed...

Tools for Writing Classical Poetry—Classical Poets Live with Andrew Benson Brown

The Society
August 25, 2024
Classical Poets Live, Education, Essays, Poetry, Video
26 Comments
. https://youtu.be/o4TS45A7KEM . Tools for Writing Classical Poetry ---adapted from the video by Andrew Benson Brown Do you want to be forgotten forever? Do you want to be obscure in the annals of history,...

DoorWay Canto 7: ‘Flight to The Eyrie’ from James Sale’s Epic Poem

The Society
August 24, 2024
Epic, Poetry
14 Comments
. DoorWay Canto 7: Flight to The Eyrie In Canto 7, the narrating Pilgrim Poet deviates from the Zodiac, leaving Sagittarius, to visit the constellation of Aquila, the Eagle, which has nine stars, and here the...

‘Patient in a Nursing Home’ and Other Poetry by Daniel Pugh

The Society
August 24, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
4 Comments
. Patient in a Nursing Home Such a frantic brilliance in the flagpole’s banging chain! I’m blind, __confined, ____but now I know: Winter’s here again. . . After the Funeral Her shoes capsized on the...

‘The Worst of Our Convictions’: A Poem by T.M. Moore

The Society
August 23, 2024
Blank Verse, Culture, Poetry
9 Comments
. The Worst of Our Convictions When, finally, the last church shuts its doors; when we run out of new identities to choose from; when the politicians have enough of power and wealth to make sure they can...

Epigrams by Maria Panayi

The Society
August 23, 2024
Epigrams and Proverbs, Poetry
5 Comments
. Epigrams . Bear in mind that whilst you’re sleeping Your enemies are busy scheming. . If you absorb everything without a filter Don’t be surprised if you are out of kilter. . Children are like...

‘Phoebus’: A Poem by L.M. Shearer

The Society
August 22, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
9 Comments
. Phoebus I saw the sun catch in your hair, Your silhouette against the glare. I heard your laughter rise and fall And shatter in the frozen air. The sun sank down behind the trees Yet brighter suns burned in...

‘Mainstream News’: A Poem by Warren Bonham

The Society
August 22, 2024
Culture, Poetry
25 Comments
. Mainstream News "Just 7% of Americans have 'a great deal' of trust and confidence in the media, and 27% have 'a fair amount.' Meanwhile, 28% of U.S. adults say they do not have very much confidence and...

‘An Invitation’: A Poem by Shamik Banerjee

The Society
August 21, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
18 Comments
. An Invitation While treading my locality's __New-slathered pavement grass, There came a flying, loud "hello" __From sprightly Mr. Das. "Black skies. It seems a squall will lash __Our town," he said to...

‘Across a Strong Bridge’: A Poem by Alexander King Ream

The Society
August 21, 2024
Beauty, Love Poems, Poetry
6 Comments
. Across a Strong Bridge upon the marriage of two friends In a weary world that's grown quite old, Where men grow weak, and thought grows cold, Two hearts can make one serious dent For virtue strong. As cool...

‘The Mannequins Are Melting’ and Other Hot Poetry by Martin Rizley

The Society
August 20, 2024
Culture, Humor, Poetry
10 Comments
. The Mannequins Are Melting The mannequins are melting as we speak Now that the summer heat wave's at its peak. __While passing by the clothing store __This afternoon at half past four, I saw the havoc waves...

‘Stolen Valor’ and Other Poetry for the Democratic National Convention, by Brian Yapko

The Society
August 19, 2024
Poetry, Satire, Villanelle
44 Comments
. Stolen Valor ---a poem in unheroic couplets Osama used his wives as human shields When being hunted down by Navy Seals; Bruce Ismay engineered Titanic’s fail Then slipped into a lifeboat ‘neath a...

‘Hope’: A Poem by Jeffrey Essmann

The Society
August 19, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
11 Comments
. Hope Hope feels so strange these days, at times a bit Like something old that now no longer fits; It’s stretched beyond repair and somewhat scratchy And moths have made of it such daily bread That even its...

‘Mud’: A Poem by Alan Brayne

The Society
August 19, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
12 Comments
. Mud Our clip-on angel wings are cast from shards of glass, The sorry hymns we sing are drowned in blaring brass. It’s not that we are crazed as we rub our magic rings, but our spirit has been caged by a...

‘The Web of Sustenance’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
August 18, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
11 Comments
. The Web of Sustenance __Voraciously the lion feeds, But leaves the scraps for jackals and hyenas— __To each according to its needs, In Nature’s sprawling tawny-grass arenas. __The residue will nourish...

‘The Leper’: A Poem by Brian Yapko

The Society
August 18, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
51 Comments
. The Leper “When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.' Jesus reached out...

‘Lucifer’s Lament’ and Other Poetry by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
August 17, 2024
Beauty, Poetry, Satire
25 Comments
. Lucifer’s Lament They’ve gone too far. They’ve set the bar So high that I’m no longer star Of My own show. Their hellish plot Has hurled Me from the hottest spot. Their claims of care are thin as...

‘Lunatic’: A Poem by Peter Venable

The Society
August 17, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
4 Comments
. Lunatic Paused at a churchyard when it’s eventide I see flit by a bright blue butterfly. Magnolia fragrance wafts through the twilight. Somewhere I hear a distant whip-poor-will. Although the air is warm,...

‘Holding Dad’s Hands’: Poems by Gigi Ryan

The Society
August 16, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
28 Comments
. Holding Dad's Hands . Friday May 3, 2019 I’m driving fast (at least it’s fast to me,) The nurse’s call gives reason for my haste. She says that dad has fever and it seems His time remaining is in hours...

‘The Wise Farmer’: A Poem from the Zen Parable, by Joshua C. Frank

The Society
August 16, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
20 Comments
. The Wise Farmer ---based on a Zen parable attributed to Alan Watts A farmer in China was left by his horse. He took up his plow and continued his course, And right after sunset, he finished his labors. When...

‘It Won’t Happen Here’ and Other Poems by Russel Winick

The Society
August 15, 2024
Culture, Poetry
15 Comments
. It Won’t Happen Here There were anti-Semites in our Congress, And still they said:  “It will not happen here.” Anti-Jewish protests broke out often, And still they said:  “It will not happen...

‘Moon Glow’: A Poem by Pamela Ruggiero

The Society
August 15, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
19 Comments
. Moon Glow The calm of the twilight should bring him some peace. He sees yellow remnants of sun get deceased. A tropical fragrance now floats through the air. This beauty is breathless; no words can...

‘Paperbark Maples’: A Poem by Daniel Kemper

The Society
August 14, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
17 Comments
. Paperbark Maples The leaves grow bright with dew; the trunks grow dark. A contrapuntal autumn morning stirs. The smoothest trees are wrapped with crumpled bark and up above, the play of breezes spurs a...

‘Winter’s Bed’: A Poem by D.C.C. Randell

The Society
August 14, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
3 Comments
. Winter’s Bed Ere the sun should spread its beams We sleep and pray for candied dreams. An angel to the bedpost flits As hours pass beneath our lids. Should baby cry, then mother’s kindness Gracefully...

‘Dublin Swans’: A Poem by Louis Groarke

The Society
August 13, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
14 Comments
. Dublin Swans “Wholly serene and sure, with regal composure, allows himself to glide.” ---Rainer Maria Rilke, “The Swan” I stop to watch the swans swim by, __Through lily pads they pass. Mounds of...

‘Free Verse as Nightmare Surrealism’: A Poem by Phillip Whidden

The Society
August 13, 2024
Culture, Poetry
26 Comments
. Free Verse as Nightmare Surrealism “I thirst for new songs without moons or irises, and without loves that have died.”  ---Lorca, New Songs (Cantos Nuevos) Who doesn’t?  But the problem is the...
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  1. C.B. Anderson on ‘A Taste of Northern New England’ and Other Poems by C.B. AndersonMay 28, 2025

    If snakes tasted as good as lobster, I would welcome more into our country. But ....

  2. C.B. Anderson on ‘A Taste of Northern New England’ and Other Poems by C.B. AndersonMay 28, 2025

    Saad is a right smart guy, though I think the whole psychobiology thing is a bit overblown. When it comes…

  3. C.B. Anderson on ‘A Taste of Northern New England’ and Other Poems by C.B. AndersonMay 28, 2025

    My understanding of elephantiasis is that its victims sometimes need to carry their infected scrotum around in a wheelbarrow in…

  4. Cheryl A Corey on ‘Forsythia Fading’: A Poem by Cynthia ErlandsonMay 28, 2025

    Cynthia, "Nothing Gold Can Stay" is one of my favorite poems, but I have to point out that it was…

  5. Cynthia L Erlandson on ‘Forsythia Fading’: A Poem by Cynthia ErlandsonMay 28, 2025

    Thank you so much, Brian! Blossoms, and their brief lives, move me deeply. (Especially yellow ones. :) ) I'm grateful…

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