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    • 'Everlasting': A Blank Verse Poem by C.B. Anderson

      The Society
      February 19, 2022
      Blank Verse, Culture, Humor, Poetry
      13 Comments
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    • ‘Sound and Fury’: A Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant

      The Society
      May 22, 2025
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      May 21, 2025
      5
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      May 21, 2025
      6
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      May 20, 2025
      17
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      May 20, 2025
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      May 19, 2025
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      Winners of the Whatfinger Poetry Contest Announced

      The Society
      April 10, 2023
      Poetry, Poetry Contests
      6 Comments
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    • Winners of Friends of Falun Gong 2025 Poetry Competition Announced

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      May 13, 2025
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      March 31, 2025
    • The Best Poems of 2024: Winners of SCP International Poetry Competition

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      February 1, 2025
      28
    • Winners of 2024 SCP International High School Poetry Competition Announced

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      February 1, 2025
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    • The Best Haiku of 2024: Winners of the 2024 SCP Haiku Competition

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      September 29, 2024
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Author The Society

The Society

The Society of Classical Poets was founded in New York in July, 2012.

‘Celestial Potatoes’: A Thanksgiving Poem by Mary Jane Myers

The Society
November 28, 2024
Humor, Poetry
18 Comments
. Celestial Potatoes Thanksgiving morning, poised I stand: near cutting board, honed knife in hand. My self-taught method must suffice: ten pounds of tubers, peel and dice, pot-boil, purée with whipping...

Book Review: Uttering the Unutterable by Louis Groarke

The Society
November 27, 2024
Essays, Poetry, Reviews
30 Comments
. Book Reviewed: Uttering the Unutterable: Aristotle, Religion, and Literature by Louis Groarke, McGill-Queen's University Press, 2023 by Margaret Coats Literature is shortchanged in the modernist and...

How to Write Iambic Pentameter in 13 Minutes: A Video by Andrew Benson Brown

The Society
November 27, 2024
Classical Poets Live, Education, Poetry
27 Comments
. https://youtu.be/ayfBdVJxeKk . . Andrew Benson Brown's epic-in-progress, Legends of Liberty, chronicles the major events of the American Revolution. He writes history articles for American Essence...

‘Election Correction’: A Poem by Richard Lackman

The Society
November 26, 2024
Culture, Poetry
2 Comments
. Election Correction Newsome, Whitmer, Pritzker, Hockel, Murphy Have a strange idea of how things should be. Then, of course, there’s Minnesota’s Walz Simply watching folks destroy their malls. This is...
poem/anderson/dogs

‘Ode to the Dogs’ by Shari Jo Lekane

The Society
November 26, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
6 Comments
. Ode to the Dogs Puppy to playmate they bring us much joy whether sleeping or hunting for favorite toys. Mischief abounds while they teethe and make noise as we patiently groom their behavioral ploys. Rapid...

‘Samhain’: A Poem by Isabella Simmonds

The Society
November 25, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
12 Comments
. Samhain Behind the turning leaves a red-breast peeks,In light dim-lit by mists on Samhain dawn;The earth is churned by drumming, grubbing beaks,Before the frosts are hard and food is worn.In orange...

‘The Ballad of Mark and P’Nut’ by Geoffrey Smagacz 

The Society
November 25, 2024
Poetry, Satire
13 Comments
. The Ballad of Mark and P’Nut The lamp is lit, computer’s on, __My coffee has been brewed. I scroll to find the harrowing tale, __The story millions viewed. At twelve o’clock, October’s end, __A rap...

‘Madrigal à la Tasso’: A Poem by Daniel Howard

The Society
November 24, 2024
Love Poems, Poetry
14 Comments
. Madrigal à la Tasso The surface of the lake reflects the flight _Of one and then another swan; _How it would add to my delight __To know where each has gone, _As when, my love, I look upon Those rapid...

‘The Lop-Sided House’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko

The Society
November 24, 2024
Culture, Poetry
27 Comments
. The Lop-Sided House A lop-sided house on the edge of a cliff; A family trying so hard to be nice As their eavesdropping neighbors spy, wondering if They can catch every word said on every device. The...

‘Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, Loved by the Viewer and the Baronet’: A Poem by Phillip Whidden

The Society
November 23, 2024
Ekphrastic, Poetry
11 Comments
. Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, Loved by the Viewer and the Baronet The lady wanted prettiness and style. (The artist wanted pounds.) The chintz Gave both her wants. A “quizzical half-smile” Invites a...

‘Underfoot’ and Other Japanese-style Poems by Benjamin Daniel Lukey

The Society
November 22, 2024
Beauty, Haiku and Senryu, Poetry
3 Comments
. Underfoot Fescue and clover: A luxuriant carpet Fit for a king’s feet. . . Murder They take noisy flight, Leaving the harvest’s stubble To hungry field mice. The crows will not make a sound When they...

High School Reunion Poems by Russel Winick

The Society
November 22, 2024
Humor, Limerick, Poetry
20 Comments
. Montana High School Reunion The big fella who grew up in Butte, Claimed his high school sweetheart was so cute, __Going back would be grand __A reunion was planned So he went out and bought costly boots. He...

‘Contemplative Days’: A Poem by Margaret Brinton

The Society
November 21, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
4 Comments
. Contemplative Days A sky of dim and pale display __Brings forth late autumn calm. "A restful peace," it seems to say; __My soul receives the balm. The faded leaves of golden tint __Which cover thick the...
poem/essmann/beauty

‘Smile’: A Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
November 21, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
15 Comments
. Smile “Nothing you wear is more important than your smile.” ---Connie Stevens I didn’t weigh your sway and worth__Until you left my faceDevoid of joy and minus mirth.__You left without a traceOf...

The Trochaic Poems of Dorothy Parker: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
November 20, 2024
Essays, Poetry
20 Comments
. The Trochaic Poems of Dorothy Parker by Joseph S. Salemi A few poets become famous, while most go down into oblivion. But a small scattering of them are eventually categorized as “minor poets,” whose...

‘Talk Around the Urn’: A Poem by Frank Rable

The Society
November 20, 2024
Culture, Poetry
7 Comments
. Talk Around the Urn In our Sunday best, on folding chairs, We solemnly talk around the urn; A tear, a sniffle, show who cares For the loved one who will not return. No box is there with dressed up...

‘A Colossal Event of Avoidance’: A Poem by Warren Bonham

The Society
November 19, 2024
Poetry, Satire
18 Comments
. A Colossal Event of Avoidance “This is a colossal event of avoidance not just in the state of Florida, but you will find avoidance in the Carolinas.” ---Marn’i Washington, FEMA Supervisor, November...

‘Melancholy Hues (of Autumn)’: an Ode by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
November 19, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
12 Comments
. Melancholy Hues (of Autumn) ---an ode The third of four trimesters of the yearsees summer flag. The mercury recedesand chilly grey replaces skies once clear,while on Earth’s tilted axis, Autumn feeds. From...

‘A Vacillating Villanelle On Perception’ by Peter Venable

The Society
November 19, 2024
Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
4 Comments
. A Vacillating Villanelle On Perception  "Understanding the world for a man is reducing it to the human, stamping it with his seal. The cat’s universe is not the universe of the anthill." ---Albert...

‘Truth Streaked Across the Sky’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson

The Society
November 18, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. Truth Streaked Across the Sky Truth streaked across the skyAlighting on a foreign strand,Where politicians buried itBeneath the lying sand. The truth was stranger than the lies,Too dazzling for the mind.The...

‘Saint Andrew’: A Poem by Robert Nachtegall

The Society
November 18, 2024
Poetry, Satire
5 Comments
. Saint Andrew My Uncle Andrew lived his lifeInflicting others pain and strife.‘Twas always said by mother dear“No good shall come of it, you hear!”He’d swill the hooch and whop his wifeOr kids within...

‘Just Doin’ Our Job’: A Sonnet in Terza Rima by T.M. Moore

The Society
November 17, 2024
Children's, Poetry, Science, Terza Rima
3 Comments
. Just Doin' Our Job As if they didn’t have enough to do already---harvesting the light to make food for the tree and seeing to it you and I have clean air every day---leaves slake their host tree’s...

‘Sailing to Illusium’ and Other Poems by James A. Tweedie

The Society
November 17, 2024
Culture, Poetry
21 Comments
. Sailing to Illusium Unheralded, the ancient oracle Appears and disappears, pronounce announcing Creaturely mortality while singing Dirges under breath; rhetorical Devices wringing images of death From...

‘Diners’: A Sonnet by Adam Wasem

The Society
November 16, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
20 Comments
. Diners For single men alone, what impulse spurs us To find them everywhere? –the burned-out lights, the squat brick block, so many times repurposed, the worn, clichéd inside, lit over-bright: Plump rows...

Great Expectations—Classical Poets Student Edition

The Society
November 16, 2024
Education, Essays, Poetry
6 Comments
. Great Expectation Classical Poets Student Edition The summary and introduction below is from a newly adapted (UK spellings Americanized and punctuation updated), illustrated, and annotated version of Great...

‘Raking Leaves’: A Poem by Cheryl Corey

The Society
November 15, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
22 Comments
. Raking Leaves The blaze of autumn's orange-gold is gone, And now it's time to rake the fallen leaves, __To clear the cluttered eaves, __And face a colder dawn. Those piles and piles of crispy, mottled...

‘Solid Rock’: A Poem by Warren Bonham

The Society
November 15, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
8 Comments
. Solid Rock With open heart, but eyes shut tight, led by our feelings, not by sight, they are the rock upon which we once built the fantasy that the foundation that we engineered inside our mind as thoughts...

‘First Pick Flamingo’: A Poem by Drilon Bajrami

The Society
November 14, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
6 Comments
. First Pick Flamingo They used to call this player the flamingo; They chaffed and mocked; they were full of bravado. ‘Cause he’s the new kid, they didn’t know his skills He missed three practice shots,...

‘A Brief Respite’: A Poem by Martin Rizley

The Society
November 14, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
17 Comments
. A Brief Respite From murky depths, I rise, by duty fetched,And breaking surface in the waking world,I find my horizontal self outstretched,Exposed to view, like some old map unfurled. Upon this couch, I sink...

‘Jehu Destroys the Temple and Statue of Baäl’: A Poem by Bruce Dale Wise

The Society
November 13, 2024
Culture, Ekphrastic, Poetry
7 Comments
. Jehu Destroys the Temple and Statue of Baäl "—What did that madman want?" ---2 Kings 9:11 He saw Jehu Destroys the Temple and Statue of Baäl, the print by Maarten van Heemskerck of darkness to appall. He...

‘Beryl Spring’: A Poem by Margaret Coats

The Society
November 13, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
28 Comments
. Beryl Spring ---Yellowstone National Park Towering torrents of steam and mist Rise next to the side of the road, Beckoning drivers to park and trudge toward a cloud. Roars like the noise of jet engines...

‘The Garden’: A Poem by Shamik Banerjee

The Society
November 12, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
10 Comments
. The Garden Dense boughs and variegated blooms __That once festooned a garden Are dying as November births __Pellucid forms that harden On them, my attic's roof, and grass. Now every morning when I...

800 Years of the Sonnet in 12 Minutes: A Video by Andrew Benson Brown

The Society
November 12, 2024
Classical Poets Live, Essays, Poetry
11 Comments
. https://youtu.be/B9aMXFVpFEk . . Andrew Benson Brown's epic-in-progress, Legends of Liberty, chronicles the major events of the American Revolution. He writes history articles for American Essence...

Armistice Day Poem: ‘A Recruiter Tells It as It Isn’t’ by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
November 11, 2024
Beauty, Humor, Poetry, Rondeau
15 Comments
. A Recruiter Tells It as It Isn’t Your World War One recruitment agent prays he finds you well. Your King and Country says we need you for a dalliance in France. In gay Paris, you’ll get to chat and...

A Poem on Trump Making Susan Wiles Chief of Staff, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
November 10, 2024
Poetry, Satire
26 Comments
. Feeding the Alligators The orange king of lava tongue has won. He sings a spangled song that rings throughout A plundered land where dreams and gold once sprung. He's here to nourish hope and conquer...

‘Homeostasis’: A Poem by C.B. Anderson

The Society
November 10, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
13 Comments
. Homeostasis "When it is not necessary to change, it is necessary not to change."  —Lucius Cary, Viscount Falkland In general, everybody wishes things Would stay the same. An endless barbecue Of ribs and...

‘The Ghosts of Altamira’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko

The Society
November 10, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
27 Comments
. The Ghosts of Altamira ---a meditation A herd of prehistoric bison; blood beliefs Depicted in concentric whorls with prints of hands. Stick petroglyphs which hint at ice age births and griefs, And spells to...

‘For the Sake of Ten Thousand: A Supplication from New Sodom’: A Poem by Cynthia Erlandson

The Society
November 9, 2024
Culture, Poetry
9 Comments
. For the Sake of Ten Thousand: A Supplication from New Sodom And Abraham came near and said, ‘Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?  Suppose there were fifty righteous…?’” ---Genesis...

‘O Lord, Let Me Not Fall’: A Sonnet by Jeffrey Essmann

The Society
November 9, 2024
Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
. O Lord, Let Me Not Fall O Lord, let me not fall today, I pray, Not in some vague or metaphoric way, As into sin or moral turpitude Or somewhat less than pious interludes. I’m talking, Lord, my face against...

‘Sometimey People’ and Other Poems by Russel Winick

The Society
November 8, 2024
Culture, Poetry
20 Comments
. "Sometimey” People Sometimes he’s quite responsive, Sometimes he disappears. Sometimes he’s downright friendly, Sometimes he switches gears. Sometimes he’s so straightforward, Sometimes he seems to...
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