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    • 'I Pray It’s Not Too Late' and Other Poetry by Mark A. Sautter

      The Society
      November 3, 2013
      Culture, Humor, Poetry
      3 Comments
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    • ‘Vesper’ and Other Poetry by Martin Briggs

      The Society
      July 14, 2025
      4
    • ‘Lasting Karma’: A Poem by Thomas Beckman

      The Society
      July 13, 2025
    • ‘Three Philosophical Quatrains’ by Ian Allaby

      The Society
      July 13, 2025
      3
    • ‘Poetry as a Pathway to Critical Thinking’: An Essay by Leland James

      The Society
      July 12, 2025
      3
    • Poetry Challenge: Classic Poem and Response

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      July 12, 2025
      30
    • ‘The Flower’s Refrain’: A Poem by Ulysses Arlen

      The Society
      July 11, 2025
      2
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    • Announcing the 2019 Poetry Competition Winners

      The Society
      February 1, 2019
      Education, From the Society, Poetry, Poetry Contests
      13 Comments
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    • The Society of Classical Poets 2025 Haiku Competition

      The Society
      June 21, 2025
      166
    • Winners of Friends of Falun Gong 2025 Poetry Competition Announced

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      May 13, 2025
      1
    • 2025 Friends of Falun Gong Poetry Competition

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

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

      The Society
      February 1, 2025
      2
    • The Best Haiku of 2024: Winners of the 2024 SCP Haiku Competition

      The Society
      September 29, 2024
      14
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Author The Society

The Society

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

‘A Sonnet for My Son on Father’s Day’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
June 16, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
25 Comments
. A Sonnet for My Son on Father’s Day You coo her name in buoyant notes of joy Then watch her toddle, tickled by her grin. She spies the bug-eyed crab---her leggy toy In Daddy’s hands all set to twirl and...

A Father’s Day Sonnet by Evan Mantyk

The Society
June 16, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
16 Comments
. A Sonnet ---for my father, an avid gardener and feeder of wildlife, who recently underwent hip surgery No one shall intervene this afternoon. The well fed squirrel squats upon his branch; The chipmunk chills...

‘The Doctor’: A Father’s Day Poem by Shamik Banerjee

The Society
June 16, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
22 Comments
. The Doctor An expert in each area, this man's The doctor for all things in disrepair— Tea kettles, doorknobs, hafts, electric fans... His fingers soothe their maladies and wear. No institute or training...

‘Mates of the Greats’: A Poem by Sally Cook

The Society
June 15, 2024
Art, Poetry, Satire
25 Comments
. Mates of the Greats Gauguin the banker thought Painting while married was Quite a nice hobby And so did his wife. But then in Tahiti Paul met with a sweetie And lived on papaya The rest of his life. Pity...

‘Distant Thunder’ and Other Poetry by Adam Sedia

The Society
June 15, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
23 Comments
. Distant Thunder Oppressive heat in heavy air; Oppressive light from summer skies; White clouds glow with a garish glare, __Menacing as they rise; Oppressive stillness reigns: no breeze Rustles the leafy,...

‘Home Run’: A Poem by Mike Bryant

The Society
June 14, 2024
Culture, Poetry
18 Comments
. Home Run Oh my God the play we made, And, really quite efficiently. We had two billion pawns we’d played, Lost sixty million… two or three. It’s almost none, percentage wise. Well worth the...

‘Ozymandias’: A Poem by Dave Blanchard

The Society
June 14, 2024
Culture, Poetry
3 Comments
. Ozymandias after Percy Bysshe Shelley More solitary than an orphan’s reachThat vigil, that the shifting peaks repel,A site of none left even to beseech---Less ruthless now, where only fragments dwellNor...

Poetry from and about Xu Zhimo, by Margaret Coats

The Society
June 13, 2024
Beauty, Poetry, Translation
30 Comments
. Meeting Xu Zhimo by Margaret Coats Three Chinese girls behind me in the line Escape King’s College Chapel evensong; They show a phone, ask where, at once decline Sought-after seats, to rush away...

‘Longfellow’s Bridge’: A Song from Longfellow’s Poem by Gunny Markefka

The Society
June 13, 2024
Music, Poetry, Song Lyrics
2 Comments
. . Download "Longfellow's Bridge" on your favorite music app HERE. . Longfellow’s Bridge (Lyrics) lyrics by Gunny Markefka, inspired by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem (after lyrics) I stood on the...

‘I Hear the Distant Thunder’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson

The Society
June 12, 2024
Culture, Poetry
18 Comments
. I Hear the Distant Thunder I hear the distant thunder rolling__Across the nighttime sky.Incendiary lightning strikes__Of fire are drawing nigh.If I can keep on writing, it__May be by candlelight.I must...

A Revised Version of ‘Little Boy Blue’ by Doug Dawson

The Society
June 11, 2024
Humor, Poetry
4 Comments
. . Little Boy Blue . Original Version Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn, The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn. Where is the boy who looks after the sheep? He's under a haystack, fast...

‘Driven from Their Homes’ and Other Israel-Inspired Poetry by Brian Yapko

The Society
June 11, 2024
Culture, Poetry
21 Comments
. . Driven from Their Homes Deported and despised. Compelled to leave. 900,000 driven from their homes With pain enough to fill one-million tomes--- And yet they are forgotten. Will none grieve? . Morocco,...

‘The Latest Gender Identity’ and Other Poems by Russel Winick

The Society
June 10, 2024
Poetry, Satire
17 Comments
. The Latest Gender Identity He’s fat, but he identifies as skinny, Insisting everybody call him “Mini.” He now, of course, considers “slim” his gender, And must henceforth be referenced as...

‘Cape Canaveral’s Pioneers Asleep’ and Other Poetry by Phillip Whidden

The Society
June 10, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
7 Comments
. Cape Canaveral’s Pioneers Asleep I wonder if the lights across lagoon Waves, little though they are, the lights and waves, Portend some goodness underneath the moon Like new moon light on marble...

Two Strange Poems by Joseph S. Salemi (with a Note)

The Society
June 9, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Essays, Poetry
18 Comments
. The Universal Horoscope and Zodiac Twelve figures in the blazoned zodiac Set by the gods in their unchanging track Spin in a regulated, yearly round Until an infant’s primal, wailing sound Puts an end to...

‘The Song of Everlasting Sorrow’ by Bai Juyi, Translated by Evan Mantyk

The Society
June 9, 2024
Love Poems, Poetry, Translation
19 Comments
. The Song of Everlasting Sorrow Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi (772-846) wrote this poem about Tang Emperor ("Son of Heaven") Xuanzong (685-762) and his famous concubine and former Taoist nun Yang Guifei, who is...

On the Meeting of Poets James A. Tweedie, Jeff Eardley, Peter Hartley, and Margaret Coats in the UK: Poems and Other Writings

The Society
June 8, 2024
Culture, Essays, Poetry
19 Comments
. In Spring 2024, UK poets Jeff Eardley and Peter Hartley crossed paths with American poets James A. Tweedie and Margaret coats in England. . . The Day That I Met Jim by Jeff Eardley The rain was horizontal...

‘Winter into Spring Sonnet’ by Jedediah Smith

The Society
June 8, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
2 Comments
. Winter into Spring Sonnet The garbage dump outside the town is white as winter’s snowfall claims the castoff chair from autumn’s cluttered leavings, hid from sight in drifts, the broken dinette set left...

Book Review: Legends of Liberty Volume II by Andrew Benson Brown

The Society
June 7, 2024
Poetry, Reviews
4 Comments
. Book Reviewed: Legends of Liberty Volume II by Andrew Benson Brown, Bard Owl Publishing, March 2024 by Theresa Werba Andrew Benson Brown has created a continuation of his Revolutionary War historical mock...
poem/freeman/humor

‘Admonition’: A Poem by Edward Stansell

The Society
June 7, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
23 Comments
. Admonition It is a form of madness To long for days of yore. And bitter is the sadness O'er those who've gone before. Now we, ourselves, must wander The dark Stygian shore And cross the river yonder, But...

‘Poetry Is Warfare’: A Poem by Gigi Ryan

The Society
June 6, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
20 Comments
. Poetry Is Warfare A poem is the writer’s battle pleaAgainst asceticism’s barren call.Truth and beauty (air that poets breathe)Needn’t acquiesce to Adam’s fall.A poem with its structure,...

‘On the 80th Anniversary of D-Day’: A Poem by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
June 6, 2024
Culture, Poetry
17 Comments
. On the 80th Anniversary of D-Day Humanity once more is under threat,when eighty years ago a Western frontwas opened up at Normandy to getanother foot in Europe’s door, then hunt down fascists who...

‘Today My Brown Sedan Is Two’ and Other Poetry by Shamik Banerjee

The Society
June 6, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. Today My Brown Sedan Is Two Today, my brown sedan is two, But I behave as if it's twenty, So freezing by a showroom's door, I scan the models—new; aplenty. And busy with an old dollop Of mud, there goes...

‘To a Cicada’ and Other Poetry by Martin Rizley

The Society
June 5, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
23 Comments
. To a Cicada So, welcome back, you ancient thing! Some time ago, your tribe took wing; But here you are again, my friend, These summer nights with me to spend. Some may have thought you'd left for good, But...

‘Under the Umbrella’: A Poem by Joshua C. Frank, Inspired by Brassens’ Le Parapluie

The Society
June 5, 2024
Love Poems, Music, Poetry, Translation
23 Comments
. Under the Umbrella inspired by “Le Parapluie” (“The Umbrella”) by Georges Brassens (1921-1981) Rain fell in waves throughout the street; A woman walked with no umbrella. I offered mine; in voice real...

‘The Harmonies of Holst’: A Poem by Mary Jane Myers

The Society
June 4, 2024
Beauty, Blank Verse, Music, Poetry
10 Comments
. The Harmonies of Holst While doing errands, driving roundabout, I listen to the classic music station. An orchestra plays a courtly lyric song. What can it be? I know it well, but how? Perhaps a ballad...
poem/byrant/gossip

‘They Say Somebody Said This; It Must Be True!’ and Other Poems by Janice Canerdy

The Society
June 4, 2024
Beauty, Poetry, Satire
8 Comments
. . They Say Somebody Said This; It Must Be True! Some people love to share with you news they’ve been told, but may not know all juicy details. They’ll ask, “Do you know more stuff? What have you...

‘The Figure Skater’ and Other Poems by Daniel Kemper

The Society
June 3, 2024
Beauty, Music, Poetry
14 Comments
. The Figure Skater Across the frozen way, stamping, sprinting, faster as hurried steps display something that she'll master her body starts to sway faster, ever faster. Wind and its turbulence eddying over...

‘Before Checkmate’: A Poem by Peter Venable

The Society
June 3, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
5 Comments
. Before Checkmate “Tis all a Checker board of nights and days Where Destiny with men for Pieces plays: Hither and thither moves, and mates, and slays, And one by one back in the closet lays.” ― Omar...

A Poem on the Trump Conviction: ‘The Witch Hunt’ by Brian Yapko

The Society
June 2, 2024
Culture, Poetry
42 Comments
. The Witch Hunt I’ve been a lawyer for a long, long time And seen a lot of things that shouldn’t be--- Like rape and murder; every type of violence But now I’ve seen the worst---a made-up crime: A...

A Poem for the Trump Conviction: ‘Finding the Crime’ by Warren Bonham

The Society
June 2, 2024
Culture, Poetry
20 Comments
. Finding the Crime “Show me the man and I’ll find you the crime” ---Lavrentiy Beria, Head of the Secret Police under Josef Stalin Every blue-state AG and each Soros DA now let dangerous criminals just...

‘At Dorr Point’: A Poem by Kevin Farnham

The Society
June 2, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
6 Comments
. At Dorr Point Our far too brief excursion about to cease,We walked the woods to Dorr Point—one last partingImmersion in resuscitating peace.But what we witnessed at trail’s end was startling:Jangling...

‘Selling Short’ and Other Poems by C.B. Anderson

The Society
June 1, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
14 Comments
. Selling Short The winter wind’s a shot across your brow, An addend to the sense of deficit You wrestle with inside the here and now. You’re happy only in the preterit Or future tense—because you hate...

‘A Formalist Walks into a Bar…’ and Other Poetry by Drilon Bajrami

The Society
June 1, 2024
Poetry, Satire
11 Comments
. A Formalist Walks into a Bar... “Dear barkeep, give me something most unsweet,I like my drinks with an astringent bite.And please forego the rocks and make it neat,My sorrows this nepenthe soundly...

‘Upon Learning of Trump’s Conviction’ by UK Poet James Sale

The Society
May 31, 2024
Poetry, Satire
17 Comments
. Upon Learning of Trump's Conviction _America is big;__Does things in style:Like setting up a President__And rigging his trial. _America is small;__Does things with guile:No charge against the...

‘Phone Home’: A Poem on the Jodrell Bank Observatory, by Jeff Eardley

The Society
May 31, 2024
Culture, Humor, Poetry
19 Comments
. Phone Home I often talk to radio astronomers, The kind of guys who like to stay anonymous, Who chew on reams of stellar data every day From objects, many million, zillion miles away. In England’s fields,...

The Day After Trump’s Conviction: ‘God Knows’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
May 31, 2024
Culture, Poetry
69 Comments
. God Knows Tomorrow’s torched and trampled on the street. __We hear the battle cry Of demons dancing to the Devil's beat __As truth and faith run dry. The skies are scorched with ever-rising heat __As hope...

A Sonnet for the 100th Anniversary of the Leopold and Loeb Case, by Adam Sedia

The Society
May 31, 2024
Culture, Poetry
22 Comments
. Leopold and Loeb Or, the Consequences of Ideas A Frenchman’s thought-experiments Argued by Englishmen until A German stripped pure thought from sense; A second then conceived the will; And last, a third...

‘Out Walking’: A Poem by Margaret Coats

The Society
May 30, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
33 Comments
. Out Walking I hear the heath alive to free A heart from hearthside reverie, _And with my rambling feet __Start out in stealth, Intent on sunnyside-up health _And daybreak flurry fleet. Let’s shake...

‘A Tiny Tabby’: A Poem by E.V. Wyler

The Society
May 30, 2024
Humor, Poetry
28 Comments
. A Tiny Tabby Beside our garden’s scalloped fence, where English Ivy’s vines are dense, we viewed an unexpected sight; a mini tiger, gold and white! This morning’s new, bewildered guest, abandoned here...
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