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    • 'Stream' and Other Poetry by Leland James

      The Society
      January 19, 2021
      Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
      4 Comments
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      August 11, 2025
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      August 10, 2025
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      August 10, 2025
      15
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      August 9, 2025
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      August 9, 2025
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      August 8, 2025
      31
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      October 10, 2023
      Poetry, Poetry Challenge, Poetry Contests
      41 Comments
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      July 26, 2025
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      May 13, 2025
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      March 31, 2025
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      February 1, 2025
      28
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Author The Society

The Society

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

A Poem on Anti-Israel Encampments at U.S. Universities, by Cheryl Corey

The Society
April 28, 2024
Culture, Poetry
23 Comments
. On Student Protestations They protest on behalf of Gaza from afar— Why won’t they do the same regarding Myanmar? To speak of Falun Gong and China’s Muslim Uyghur Will get you vacant stares—the...

‘Watching My Children at Play in a Graveyard’: A Poem by Shaun C. Duncan

The Society
April 28, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
18 Comments
. Watching My Children at Play in a Graveyard Laughing, the children slip between the stones Laid out in rows like cracked and crooked teeth, And tread with little care upon the bones Of those who dream of...

A Letter from Incarcerated Poet D.T. Holt to the SCP

The Society
April 27, 2024
Essays, Poetry
21 Comments
. To Mr. Evan Mantyk, . I know you lead a busy life curating the Society of Classical Poets and I don’t want to waste a bunch of your time with some long-winded missive.  That being said, if you can spare a...

‘Jerzy and Cyla’ and Other Holocaust Poetry by Peter Austin

The Society
April 27, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. Jerzy and Cyla Jerzy, a Polish teen in World War Two, Arrested for suspected membership Of the resistance, faced a one-way trip To Auschwitz. There, where womenfolk were few, Labouring in a storehouse used...

‘The Devil’s Trill’: A Poem on Tartini’s Famous Violin Piece, by Julian Woodruff

The Society
April 26, 2024
Acrostic, Music, Poetry
21 Comments
. The Devil’s Trill I.     A heavy meal and three glasses of port Weighed down Tartini when at length he rose From supper to retire. “Ah, there he goes— Tartini, feted at each royal...

‘The Dance’: A Poem by Margaret Brinton

The Society
April 26, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
9 Comments
. The Dance __'Tis springtime _And air is a-breezin', Wafting through fair winds that blow. __The blossoms _From flowering jasmine Are waltzing along with the flow. __As vines twist _And twine in a tango, A...

‘The Knight of Monticello’: A Poem on Thomas Jefferson by Mary Jane Myers

The Society
April 25, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
18 Comments
. The Knight of Monticello Everywhere and always, Jefferson read. His library stocked a sage’s daily bread. Four volumes, leather-bound, well-thumbed, perused: Don Quixote, his most peculiar muse. He...

‘Theópneustos’: A Poem by Peter Venable

The Society
April 25, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
7 Comments
. . Theópneustos Greek, “God breathed” . The Word of God is absolute— __Or else, some claim, it’s obsolete. Many hold it in disrepute, __Dismiss it as myth and deceit. . I say it’s for the...

A Country Song on China and the CCP, by Evan Mantyk (Music Added)

The Society
April 24, 2024
Human Rights in China, Music, Poetry, Satire
24 Comments
. Lyrics and vocals by Evan Mantyk / guitar by Jeff Eardley . The CCP Song (CCP: Chinese Communist Party) The world ain’t got the balls to take on China And all them greedy nations wanna sign a Free trade...

A Poem on China’s Belt and Road Initiative, by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
April 24, 2024
Culture, Human Rights in China, Poetry
16 Comments
. When the Dragon Spreads Its Wings Millennia, the Dragon stayed at home, Consumed its own, kept dissidence at bay, Until it felt a gnawing urge to roam, To make its global domination play. With Belt and...

‘A Shakespeare Garden Stroll’: A Poem by Margaret Coats

The Society
April 23, 2024
Beauty, Poetry, Shakespeare
22 Comments
. A Shakespeare Garden Stroll Of all the blooms, I like the lily best. Might you prefer a deep vermilion rose? Well, each to earth some special good can give; Let’s glean what naturally in season grows. At...

On the Occasion of William Shakespeare’s Birthday: ‘Shakespeare’s Women’ by Brian Yapko

The Society
April 23, 2024
Beauty, Humor, Poetry, Shakespeare
26 Comments
. Shakespeare's Women for Susan Jarvis Bryant, who has a spiritual home in Stratford-on-Avon It’s April 23rd. The rain is pouring And from the Gulf the Poet can hear thunder. She sips Earl Grey. Her regal...

‘Exodus’: A Poem for Passover by Michael Vanyukov

The Society
April 22, 2024
Culture, Poetry
28 Comments
. Exodus "The entire community of the children of Israel complained against Moses and against Aaron in the desert. The children of Israel said to them, If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land...

‘Not Sonnet 18… Yet’ and Other Poetry for Shakespeare’s Birthday, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
April 22, 2024
Humor, Poetry, Shakespeare
40 Comments
. Not Sonnet 18… Yet I strain in vain to sparkle like the Bard. I strive to spill slick iambs by the ream. Comparing thee to spring in my backyard Just doesn’t thrill like Will’s lush summer dream. My...

‘Another Coffee Shop, Another Crush’: Poems by Daniel Kemper

The Society
April 22, 2024
Love Poems, Poetry
22 Comments
. Another Coffee Shop, Another Crush Another coffee shop, another crush, a moment frozen just before my turn, a chance to grin and let her make me blush, a true inscription on a Grecian Urn... The crowded room...

Are Epic Heroes Toxic?—Classical Poets Live with Andrew Benson Brown

The Society
April 21, 2024
Classical Poets Live, Culture, Essays, Poetry, Reviews
11 Comments
. https://youtu.be/ICEvMGx4WnY . . Andrew Benson Brown has had poems and reviews published in a few journals. His epic-in-progress, Legends of Liberty, will chronicle the major events of the American...

‘On an Otter’: A Poem by Kensley Greene

The Society
April 21, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
10 Comments
. On an Otter He slinks beneath, but not for long; surprise! he sprouts atop the pool to stare: his leather nostrils round, his prickled whiskers clean and cruel, with juggled bounce above the wave, a subtle...

‘Climate: The Movie’: A Poem by Bruce Dale Wise

The Society
April 20, 2024
Poetry, The Environment
15 Comments
. Climate: The Movie learn about and watch the movie here It shows there is no basis found in science for its fare.The film exposes the alarm as an invented scare.We are not witnessing extreme events in...

‘Rolling the Roads—The Days Before Snow Plows’: A Poem by Phil S. Rogers

The Society
April 20, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
13 Comments
. Rolling the Roads The Days Before Snow Plows . A major storm throughout the night __Of heavy, wet, spring snow. Nor'easter off the coast of Maine __Hence wicked winds did blow. When finally the storm was...
poem/essmann/beauty

‘The Moment’ and Other Poems by Benjamin Cannicott Shavitz

The Society
April 19, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
10 Comments
. The Moment I’m sure of what will happen when The tide resumes its rise again And drowns the beach: Erasing signs that we were here, The water will be sure to clear What’s in its reach. The wind will...

Carpe Diem: A Poem by James A. Tweedie

The Society
April 19, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
15 Comments
. Carpe Diem Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero. (“Seize the day, trust as little as possible in tomorrow.”) Horace, Odes I:11 We live our lives, we make our plans, and then Both time and...

‘The Sound of Dirt’: A Poem by Gigi Ryan

The Society
April 18, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
26 Comments
. The Sound of Dirt   in memory of my granddaughter, Valerie (March 30, 2020 - April 20, 2020) Above uneven chairs a canopy Protects the mourners from the blazing heat. It does not shield from view the pile...

‘On Noms de Plume’: A Poem by Mark Stellinga

The Society
April 18, 2024
Poetry, Satire
15 Comments
. On Noms de Plume Justin Von Depathos strode across the ballroom floorTo sit with Carlton Vishizwa and Charlotte Genevieve—While I, in silent fascination, watched them from the door—The “major...

‘If Need Be’ and Other Poetry by Russel Winick

The Society
April 17, 2024
Beauty, Poetry, Satire
20 Comments
. If Need Be If lawfare prosecutors aren’t proficient, And Biden family crimes can’t be denied, The ballots that they harvest aren’t sufficient, Their policies’ gross failures they can’t hide, If...

‘Snowy Egret’ and ‘Dusky Seaside Sparrow’: Two Bird Poems by Margaret Coats

The Society
April 17, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
39 Comments
. Snowy Egret Here where sunlight sparkle rinses Cypresses whose balding branches Shoulder epiphytic orchids (Cowhorn, spider, ghost, or scented), Tangled mangrove swamp condenses Fortress walls against surf...

A Poem on the Persecution of Donald J. Trump, by Brian Yapko

The Society
April 16, 2024
Culture, Poetry
43 Comments
. . On the Altar of Our Nation I must confess it took a long, long time For Donald Trump to grow on me. He’s gruff, Undiplomatic, calls opponents slime And scum. Of course the man is right, but...

‘The Woods Have Waited Anxiously’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson

The Society
April 16, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
41 Comments
. The Woods Have Waited Anxiously The woods have waited anxiously for me to reappear. I left them when the snow piled high in fall of late last year. The tree trunks have another ring while branches reach for...

‘Miss Pronoun-ciation’: A Poem by Andrew Benson Brown

The Society
April 15, 2024
Poetry, Satire
47 Comments
. Miss Pronoun-ciation She know how Grammar Nazis be all anal. Their like theyre fancy, boring words—so banal. When grading papers, allways giving discounts— All airy like some Eiffel-tootin...

‘Gallows Lane’ and Other Poetry by Cheryl Corey

The Society
April 15, 2024
Culture, Poetry
16 Comments
. Gallows Lane A lesser charge once meant the pillory, With head and wrists securely set in blocks; For just the legs and feet, a pair of stocks; Or stripped and strapped against the whipping tree, Then...

‘The Proud’: A Poem by Warren Bonham

The Society
April 14, 2024
Poetry, Satire
27 Comments
. The Proud “You are proud because you live in those high, inaccessible cliffs. ‘Who can ever reach us way up here!’ you boast. Don’t fool yourselves! Though you soar as high as eagles, and build...

‘To the Evening Breeze’ and Other Poetry by Shamik Banerjee

The Society
April 14, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
17 Comments
. To the Evening Breeze When I unbolt the terrace door, He enters quickly, greeting me With kisses on my cheeks and hair As if a friend who'd longed to see My face for countless centuries. As night begins to...

‘A Clock Describes People’: A Poem by David Whippman

The Society
April 13, 2024
Culture, Poetry
28 Comments
. A Clock Describes People Their faces do not show the time of day But something called emotion: what that is, I've no idea; but I can tell you this: they worry as the hours slip away. “Time's a great...

‘Empire’: A Poem by Michael Vanyukov

The Society
April 13, 2024
Poetry
22 Comments
. Empire “We have been nought, we shall be all!” —The Internationale “The Empire is a country for fools” — Joseph Brodsky, Post aetatem nostram That’s the Empire’s last few days. It’s been a...

‘Counsel from a Self-Help Guru’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
April 12, 2024
Culture, Poetry, Satire
21 Comments
. Counsel from a Self-Help Guru I haven’t come here purposed with defendingYour excesses or manifold omissions,Or promise all of you a happy ending:I’m here to explicate a few conditions That bear on...

‘Goodbye, Sweetie’: A Poem on Sugar by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
April 12, 2024
Humor, Poetry
20 Comments
. Goodbye, Sweetie Oh, devil-angel, Sugar! Your time’s done! You rot my teeth, yet melt upon my tongue. I’m forced to hide my black smile from the sun; meantime, my exhalations smell like dung. You cause...

‘Lone Musketeer’: A Poem by James Sale

The Society
April 11, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
25 Comments
. Lone Musketeer "To be a poet in a destitute time means: to attend, singing, to the trace of the fugitive gods. This is why the poet in the time of the world’s night utters the holy … Poetry is a place...

‘The Meat Purveyor’s Son’: A Sestina by Shirley Bunyan

The Society
April 11, 2024
Humor, Love Poems, Poetry, Sestina
14 Comments
. The Meat Purveyor’s Son Aesthetically impaired, she was the heir to daddy’s fortune. She was plumpish, short and much too close together were the eyes. She hankered after marriage with a man to birth at...

‘The Snares of Simplicity’: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
April 10, 2024
Essays, Poetry
37 Comments
. The Snares of Simplicity by Joseph S. Salemi Liberals, Communists, and capitalists all share one dangerous and demonically-prompted trait. They want to simplify. The complexities and nuances of any...

Spring Poems from the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-907), Translated by Evan Mantyk

The Society
April 10, 2024
Beauty, Poetry, Translation
20 Comments
. Poem I of the three Quiet and Peaceful Melody Poems by Li Bai The clouds like swirling clothes, the flowers like a face, The Spring breeze brushes railings, dewdrops condensate. If you don’t see her at the...

‘A Reverie’ and Other Poetry by Sally Cook

The Society
April 9, 2024
Beauty, Poetry
19 Comments
. A Reverie Some days in August there’s a summer hum Of distant outboard motors, or a plane Relentlessly pursuing a puffed cloud, Echoes of past revelers, and then some More silent moments, full of what’s...
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