Author The Society

. First Prize: $2,000. Publication on the Society's website and Journal. . Submission Fee: $20 (The fee comes with a free subscription to our monthly e-Newsletter.) . Submit: One to three poems on any topic....

. First Prize: $200. Publication in the Society's website and The Society of Classical Poets Journal. . Submission Fee: $5 (The fee comes with a free subscription to our monthly e-Newsletter.) . Submit: One...

. Surviving the Cultural Revolution Why should this tourist want to take my picture? I’m just a woman who is very old--- He photographs me as I sweep the streets And gather trash to justify my rice. What...

. At Brown University, 14 August 2025 It is a fitting name, at least, For every building that I see Is carved from this old color, like Some wise and sprawling, kindly tree. It’s island academia, Amidst a...

. Spacewalk Around earth’s blue-white marble sphere the black is ancient, soundless, near; starry webs burn in dawnlike glare. A rhythm, the unending drone of the star-work being done beats in my brain. I...

. Band of Brothers A picture of two soldiers in their prime. A scribbled note in cursive on the back. “My Dearest Son, if ever comes a time When I am gone, whatever you may lack Or need, just phone this...

. Coming Attractions (1994) Black is white, white is black, two and two is three. Put your common sense away, all you need is me. I’m the soothing voice, the calming face on your TV. Let me settle all your...

. Listen Britannia! Listen Britannia! All ye who would never be slaves. Hear the word of the Lord, He who rescues and saves, _For they who won't hark will dwell in the dark, __And will slump under rule of the...

. The Best Haiku of 2025 The Winner and Runners-Up of the Society of Classical Poets 2025 Haiku Competition Judged by J. Thomas Rimer and Margaret Coats (see their remarks below) See all...

. A Reason for Hope __The sky so bright, __The morning mist, __The inbound flight Back to the items on our list __Are all a part __Of one big scene __That makes the heart A diachronic smithereen __Which...

. Lyrics by Philodemus of Gadara (circa 1st century BC) translated from Greek by Joseph S. Salemi . V.13 Charito is past sixty, and yet still Her lustrous black hair falls in thick cascades; Still those...

. A Rant . I. Pay for a surrogate to birth you a kid. Feed it on formula falsely construed. Drop it in daycare for hours on end; shunt it to public-school where it’s imbued with half-truths of History and...

. To a Most Tempting Pancake “Quae mollis est, amanda est.” (What is soft, is to be loved) ---Libri Matutini (Book of Breakfasts) O golden disc, with cinnamon imbued, Thou float’st in butter, warm and...

. Sally in Our Alley ---written by Henry Carey (born Aug. 26) in 1725 Of all the girls that are so smart _There’s none like pretty Sally; She is the darling of my heart, _And she lives in our alley. There...

. Ten Floors I stepped into our building’s entranceway.It was aglow from bright sunshine that day.With friends she walked inside as I got there,So beautiful I had to stop and stare. Without a chance to...

. On the 125th Anniversary of Nietzsche's Death Mr. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche wrote books that were dense and preachy, as he soared above life’s trenches, with his fellow Übermensches. Supermen like him...

. The poem "Extinction" by Mary Jane Myers read by the poet herself at the Society of Classical Poets online Poetry Symposium on June 28, 2025: . https://youtu.be/g1xxB022Cic Video created by Andrew Benson...

. A Poetic Retelling of the Myth of Icarus and Daedalus ---from "The Bird Man in the Sky" So early at the break of day, when bright beams in the east And cloudless skies told Daedalus that there was not the...

. When Prices Surge What happens to the prices when demand outstrips finite supply? Well, you’ll be darned to know that unlike all those years ago (when playing fields were level) for a show, to watch a band...

. The Capital The capital looks like the setting of a zombie flick. The city once had swagger; it was bright and rich and slick. At night the neon lights shone over hustlers on the streets, who’d sell you...

. This poetry challenge comes from poet Roy E. Peterson: Provide a poem about your inspiring Muse. If you name a Muse, put it in a poet's note at the bottom of your poem. If it is someone living, you need not...

. Gull Pacing the parapet hungrily eyeing papers and plastic cups in the dust, her kin overhead, wheeling, crying, watching their chance to steal a crust. Floating down from the gable roof, landing nearby...

. Shackled I crave a morning hit when I rise up, A trifle touch to take the edge away To spur me on to get my coffee cup. Don’t talk while I eat breakfast. Go away. I want a bitty bit of my sweet drug. I do...

. Farewell Colbert Late-night TV, when it started, didn’t have a path yet charted, but had teams of wise advisors who knew they’d need advertisers. Advertisers wanted viewers, who demanded...

. There Was a Time I Tried to Love the Sun There was a time I tried to love the Sun. I saw his golden splendor in the sky At Lammastide, when harvest had begun, Aflame above the windswept fields of rye. I...

. The poem "The Settlers" by Martin Rizley read by the poet himself at the Society of Classical Poets online Poetry Symposium on June 28, 2025: . https://youtu.be/BfSIHKl0aOk Video created by Andrew Benson...

. Umbra The blazing height of summer’s day Now darkens to weird quasi-night--- Translucent dusk, half-cloaking gray, Half-veiling darkness pierced by sight. What shapeless cloud was blown astray That dares...

. News of a Coup The news of a coup hits the headlines. No ears prick to listen or hear. The proof plucked from yesterday’s grapevines Has dried with the last dusty tear Of natives once proud of their...

. To the Ancient Mariner “O Wedding-Guest! This soul hath beenAlone on a wide wide sea;So lonely ‘twas, that God himselfScarce seeméd there to be.” ---Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient...

. Pointless Poems Why do women shave their legs, It seems unnecessary. The question lingers, pleads and begs, What’s wrong with being hairy? “Water, water, everywhere “And all the boards did...

. Inklings Shut off that damn brainwashing, numbing screen!Tonight I did. I reached, opened that book.From sentences, the mind gleans what it means.What happens when we painstakingly look? We visualize and...

. Advice to a Young Man in Love If her name is Sally, then _Tattoo it on your arm With Lovehearts terminally, and _It won’t do any harm, Because, when Sally breaks your heart, _There’s Sallys up and...

. Uxorious? He tried to guard composure as he pressed the new denarius to his chapped lips and unbecoming tears for noblemen slipped privately to stain his cheeks and bed. “Faustina, death entombs a...

. Modes of Divination The future’s course, in all of its essentials, Is augured from a steaming heap of entrails. The tea leaves, buoyed by meniscus, Will show you where the greatest risk is. For aging...

. Attention Deficit Disorder I once had a friend like Midas.All he touched would turn to gold;but after he would touch itthe thing would soon get old. He’d focus for a while.He’d train and run and race.His...

. Mnemonic Device for Military Pro-Signs A-Z Pro-signs are an alphabetical coding system used by the military for radio transmissions or for the naming of various units, to insure complete clarity of...

. Mary ---a sequel to “Martha," prompted by James A. Tweedie The night grew still, the lamps gave off a hush,And Martha’s footsteps faded down the hall.The coals were low, the herbs gave one last flush...

. Sidewalk Sincerity “Hi---how are you?” he said to me, A friendly thing to say, I answered just as cordially, But he had walked away. . . Evolution I love to have close relatives and numerous good...

. Falun Dafa Parade The heartbeat of a marching band lies in the beating drums, The power of a sleeping beast that shakes the ground with thrums. An energy that fills the air and lifts you from your core, The...

. On Having a Little Girl She looks at me with hazel eyes And freckles on her sun-kissed cheeks. These moments, gentle, still, and blest Are ever-anchored in my chest. I tell fair tales to her in bed— Of...