Author The Society

. Aphrodisiac I. It was past midnight when we met and spoke One rainswept winter Friday. The wet street Stood empty save for us (that clinched the deal). God knows she was no beauty: unkempt, thin, A...

. Resolve Much gain involves much pain and we can see, That discipline is hard, like pumping steam, Spending each glorious day sowing seeds Striving all summer to fulfil a dream. That’s tough, but leads to...

. Dusk Come down! you fading orb of heat, __Come down, and rest your head, I watched you in your slow defeat; __This day you had is dead. What marvel! that you lived at all, __What marvel, that we share, This...

. Cutie Pie Cat The pink-nosed face of Prospero my cat, Pink nose and white fur face, is what he rubs Against me, purring.  He does not know that I love him since he’s cute.  My finger scrubs His whiskers...

. Let Them Go Children born around the world __some fifty years ago were free to roam and run and hide, __to ramble high and low. The bigger people stayed inside __and never really knew how far the little...

. The British Museum The best sources repeat it, unending, For the scholars in every lyceum: Many art works, of nations unlending, Can be found in the British Museum. There are statues and weapons and...

. The Dying It’s getting to be time again when all the leaves, their labors nearly done, prepare their legacy. We see them everywhere at work on this, the brilliant hues of fall announcing the new terms of...

. The Chief Baker Responds to Joseph "And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and...

. Nothing Compares Last year, on a private tour of Italy and Spain, I saw the Colosseum and cathedrals… so sublime. I found it hard to comprehend the patience and the skill It took to build those...

. I Love My Paranoia I love my paranoia That no one else can see. It’s like a loving shadow Surely protecting me. Some say it's a sixth sense, Or liability. Some claim I should release it Because it’d set...

. Bright Light, Some City "It's probably a reflection of my own, if I may say, loneliness. I don't know. It could be the whole human condition." — Edward Hopper on "Morning Sun" Why does it matter that the...

. Storm Dog Thunder, bounding through the holler, shouts. The lights are flickering but are not out. My dog is terrified out in the rain, (My cats don’t mind or so their actions claim.) I let him in his...

. Something in the Water The swimmer had removed her clothes, __Then turned and gave a wail, For in the dressing room there was __A biologic male. Man’s voice, broad shoulders, 6 foot 4, __With men he could...

. Take Me Out to the Ball Game The game of baseball’s changed since I was younger, Back when the Giants played at Candlestick. A hot dog in my hand helped quench my hunger; The left-field stands were cheap,...

. Devotions Night after night, for nigh a year, When bedtime came, we’d watch our child Be overcome by his emotions: From glee, to rage, to childish fear, And us both stumped: What drove him so wild __And...

. Lamplights at Dusk  Along the tree-lined lane, I walk at dusk, On pavement gray, well-washed by autumn showers, And watch the fading day discard its husk, As countless leaves cascade from russet...

. California Meme-ing ---on Gov. Newsom's recent ban of AI deepfake memes The perilous and puckish AI fairy Has magicked mocking memes so sharp they've shocked Grand Guvnor Noos'em---spoofs have proved so...

. The Painter  The moment when a painting is complete, He starts another piece without delay Like respiration—take a breath; repeat. Without this passion, he won't last a day. While Nature keeps on working...

. The Last Petal In a garden old and wise, Where blooms and seasons intertwine, A rose stood tall against the skies, Its petals bright, its heart divine. But time, unseen, began to stir, A single petal loosed...

. The Father of All Lights "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" ---James 1:17 How much more...

. Oaks of Righteousness “That they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD…”  ---Isaiah 61:3 What stories shared between these gnarled trees, What secrets shared twixt these and...

. Of Windows and Lawns "I grew up in a neighborhood of folks who were very proud of their lawn." —Kamala Harris There was a theory that a single broken Window wasn’t a big deal. But Too many broken...

. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtNh_jWAzKU . Henry Knox in His Bookstore ---from Legends of Liberty, Volume 3 The chiming of a doorway’s silver bells Announced the timing of a late arriving Patron to...

. August, at Your Pleasure The year, by August, late in middle age,gives knowing winks to autumn as the goldof summer sun and wheat fields turn the page,as youth, prolonged by zest, lets loose its hold. Recall...

. Follow the Miracle A random head-turn? Vector wind deflection? Or was it truly heavenly protection? His head came close to being torn asunder Yet he survived! I have to wonder If Trump was saved by divine...

. Viracocha Viracocha made the world, __He made it in a day. A day in Viracocha’s life __Would leave you old and gray, So when he’d finished making it __He must sit down and play. Viracocha made the...

. Valediction for a Critic "She can second-guess the sixth sense of a poem." —Seamus Heaney "I thought—and still think—that all people would like poetry if they were only brought up with it and shown how...

. Light Wave Heatwave When the temperature rises, a worker despises __The withering glare of the sun. When the sweat’s so profuse that our skin is a sluice, __Even golf and croquet ain’t no fun. A jug of...

. Kristallnacht---The Night of Broken Glass I tell my son he must not make a sound. I whisper, “Karl, this attic is our haven. Don’t cry! Don’t let the brown shirts know we’re here!” Alfrida’s...

. To September Your fields and groves are lushly emerald still; Your flowers still waft their scents and vaunt their flair; Your blazing rays still generously spill; Your winds still gently breathe their balmy...

. Let’s Laugh at Leftists with a nod to Joseph S. Salemi Step right up and see the freaks, Who call sane values mere antiques! Hear them weep and moan and whine When you won’t ape the party line! See the...

. Catullus XI Furius and Aurelius, my two friends, Whether I go to farthest India, The shore by ever-pounding Eastern seas Beaten by tide-waves, To Hyrcania, or Arabia’s pillowed ease, Scythia,...

. When Your Foe Is Perilously Strong When your foe is perilously strong It mightn’t be too preposterous or wrong To let him think that you’re a friend of his. If you’re a minority and somewhat...

. Solitaire A fresh tableau gives hope of gaining traction In the builds. Shortly, though, you see you’re beat. It’s like life: strangely rich the satisfaction Of having dealt your own unique...

. There Are Masters and Then There Are Masters The moth’s desire for muzziness of moon Looms large in some men’s minds.  They seem to think That muddled paradox, that Indian rune Philosophy, is fine...

. Over the Hill Now that you’re "over the hill," Relax. Enjoy the view. Life’s a beach, so chill. Work? You’ve had your fill. It’s time to just do you; And now that you’re over the hill, You’ve...

. Flora's England The hedgerows droop with bulbous berries black As feathers of the Raven in the sun Of August, glowing hot upon his back. He soars above the corn, its growing done. While Lammas songs are sung...

. A Prayer in Three Quatrains Too well I know, I am a son of error; Too well I know the weakness of my frame. Yet still I plead, Lord, save me from this terror; And of Thy mercy, blot out all my shame. A...

. The Traveler I walked along a dusty road, The night was long and cruel and cold. When suddenly upon the path, I came across a speck of gold. I picked it up in sheer delight, And stumbled to a broken inn. Yet...

. Common Brief I watch the leaves awaken in the wood behind our home, as daybreak crawls along the trees, and shafts of sunlight penetrate the canopy. The leaves are motionless, but soon enough they’ll shake...