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    • 'Puzzle Box' by Mathew Wenham

      The Society
      April 20, 2020
      Beauty, Culture, Poetry
      25 Comments
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      August 30, 2025
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      August 30, 2025
      5
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      August 29, 2025
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      August 29, 2025
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    • The Best Haiku of 2025: Winners of the 2025 SCP Haiku Competition

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      August 28, 2025
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      August 28, 2025
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      SCP Poet Cynthia Erlandson Wins the Maria W. Faust Sonnet Competition

      The Society
      July 11, 2023
      Poetry, Poetry Contests, Readings
      24 Comments
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    • The Best Haiku of 2025: Winners of the 2025 SCP Haiku Competition

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      August 28, 2025
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      July 26, 2025
      3
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      June 21, 2025
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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
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      February 1, 2025
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Author The Society

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

‘The Harvest’: A Poem by Peter Venable

The Society
July 16, 2025
Beauty, Poetry
5 Comments
. The Harvest As drops of water drop and drip and drop, Each dripping drop soon fills the deepest crack. But when there is a freeze, they split the rock And once it’s cleft, no hands can pull it back. So...

‘Unspoken Moments’: A Poem by Michael Pendragon

The Society
July 16, 2025
Beauty, Poetry
9 Comments
. Unspoken Moments A sunpatch nap the first warm day of Spring, A curled up kitten sleeping in your lap, A country walk down lanes where robins sing, The surge of joy in every thunderclap And burst of rain...

‘The Hokey-Cokey—Chaucer Style’: A Poem by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
July 15, 2025
Chaucer, Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
. The Hokey-Cokey---Chaucer Style With music was a dingy tavern blessed, In Southwark, where we stopped to take our rest. The Miller, Robin, on his bagpipes played A tune---the Hokey-Cokey---and he made Us...

‘Poetic Influences’: A Poem by Margaret Brinton

The Society
July 15, 2025
Beauty, Poetry
11 Comments
. Poetic Influences Elements swirling in motion,Music in splashes and streams!Waterfall, wild rushing river,Nature is stirring up dreams. Fog on the shores of illusion,Mixing with mist from the seas.Whispering...

‘Of a Feather’ and Other Poems by C.B. Anderson

The Society
July 14, 2025
Culture, Humor, Poetry
8 Comments
. Of a Feather Professor Swann was new among the fonts of knowledge chugging up the tenure track; he'd earned his place among the college fac- ulty with bold views and a fierce response to critics. Apropos to...

‘Vesper’ and Other Poetry by Martin Briggs

The Society
July 14, 2025
Beauty, Poetry
20 Comments
. Vesper At dewfall Pipistrella brings her silent flickering silhouette to haunt the after-glimmerings that linger on the garden yet. And quiet overcomes the sky; and shadow pacifies the night; and indigos...

‘Lasting Karma’: A Poem by Thomas Beckman

The Society
July 13, 2025
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
4 Comments
. Lasting Karma What’s the key to living life that matters? How do we spend this precious time on earth? Listen to the lessons of our fathers ---they illustrate the path from birth to death. So fleeting is...

‘Three Philosophical Quatrains’ by Ian Allaby

The Society
July 13, 2025
Culture, Humor, Poetry
5 Comments
. Myths _I mined the Grecian myths _and wrung from them this gem: The gods amuse themselves with us and we amuse ourselves with them. . . Chuang Tzu We steal all our lives, was Chuang Tzu’s belief, to...

‘Poetry as a Pathway to Critical Thinking’: An Essay by Leland James

The Society
July 12, 2025
Education, Essays, Poetry
4 Comments
. Poetry as a Pathway to Critical Thinking —with a focus on metaphor and image Poetry: “the right words in the best order.” —Samuel Taylor Coleridge Critical thinking: “conceptualizing, analyzing,...

Poetry Challenge: Classic Poem and Response

The Society
July 12, 2025
Poetry, Poetry Challenge
41 Comments
. In this poetry challenge, poet Roy E. Peterson challenges you to post a classic poem and a poetic response to it (of any length). See his example below. Post your choice of poem and poetic response in the...

‘The Flower’s Refrain’: A Poem by Ulysses Arlen

The Society
July 11, 2025
Beauty, Poetry
8 Comments
. The Flower’s Refrain A tender shoot breaks through the ground, Drawn upward by the golden sun; It spreads its quiet leaves around, And grows till warmer days are done. It heeds not time nor wind nor...

‘Family Affair’ and Other Poems by Russel Winick

The Society
July 11, 2025
Culture, Poetry, Satire
20 Comments
. Family Affair It was an educational affair, So many distant relatives were there, And it was nice to learn who they all were, Too bad without a death, this won’t occur. . . Argument Avoided There’s no...

‘Pope Leo XIV’s Green Mass’: A Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
July 10, 2025
Poetry, Satire, The Environment
21 Comments
. Pope Leo XIV’s Green Mass My aim is red. My game is green. _I’m cloaked in clouds of white. This choking planet’s mine to clean. _I’m virtue’s guiding light. I’ll save this smoking Earth from...

‘For Liza Am I Westward Bound’: A Lyrical Folk Ballad by Davis Saunders

The Society
July 10, 2025
Love Poems, Poetry
9 Comments
. For Liza Am I Westward Bound _The year was 1868, __The place—Old King James’ town, _Young John was by his window sat, __Entranced and looking down. _For walking by was Liza Jane, __With flowers in her...

‘The Pervading Presence’ and Other Poetry by Martin Rizley

The Society
July 10, 2025
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
7 Comments
. The Pervading Presence The summer gleams in meadow, stream, and hill Beneath the warming sun of mid-July; No sudden sound disturbs the landscape still, Which, sleeping, lies beneath the azure sky. Here...

‘Simply Chilling’: A Tetraptych of Poems by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
July 9, 2025
Culture, Poetry, Rondel, Triolet, Villanelle
18 Comments
. Simply Chilling . I. A Boring Villanelle My humdrum life has been a constant bore--- An unembellished scene of somber tone. Monotony is coursing through its core. My listless weekends whisper, never...

‘After If’: A Poem After Kipling, by Josh Mitteldorf

The Society
July 9, 2025
Culture, Poetry
3 Comments
. After If ---with affection and all respect for dear Rudyard If you can keep your heart when all about you Are stretching reason to its reasoned end; Ignore all form and pretense, without scoffing, And...

Eternal Rose, with Rows and Rows: Canto XXX of Dante’s Paradise, Translated by Stephen Binns

The Society
July 8, 2025
Dante, Epic, Poetry, Translation
6 Comments
. Eternal Rose, with Rows and Rows: Canto XXX of Paradise by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) translated by Stephen Binns Six thousand miles away, high overhead, __perhaps noon blazes, while our world’s...

‘On Never Giving Up’: A Poem by Mark Stellinga

The Society
July 8, 2025
Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. On Never Giving Up On reaching the point where it's tough to find answers to _“What-are-we-doing-this-for?” And the number of people that “couldn't-care-less” _Surpasses the...

A Poem on the July 4th Texas Flash Floods, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
July 7, 2025
Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. There Are No Words ---on the July 4th Texas flash floods There are no words to quell a swell of grief That swallows hope and snatches at the breath Of those who gasp in startled disbelief At onscreen scenes...

Lyrics of Oliver Goldsmith, Translated into Latin by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
July 7, 2025
Poetry, Translation
14 Comments
. When Lovely Woman Stoops to Folly… by Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) When lovely woman stoops to folly, And finds too late that men betray, What charm can soothe her melancholy, What art can wash her guilt...

Prologue in Heaven from ‘Faust’ by Goethe, Translated by Josh Olson

The Society
July 7, 2025
Performing Arts, Poetry, Translation
14 Comments
. From Faust: The Tragedy, Part I Prologue in Heaven by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) translated from German by Josh Olson . The Lord, the heavenly host, and afterward Mephistopheles The three...

‘On Quantock Hills’: A Poem by Andy Moody

The Society
July 6, 2025
Beauty, Poetry
4 Comments
. On Quantock Hills On Quantock Hills, as Skylarks sing aloft, A humble pilgrim walks on ways of old, In morning light, with air so still and soft, The book held in his hand doth gleam of gold. He sits to rest...

‘The Juggler’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko

The Society
July 6, 2025
Culture, Poetry
20 Comments
. The Juggler ---with special kudos to George Clooney, Whoopi Goldberg, Taylor Swift, Susan Sarandon, Tom Hanks, Mark Hamill, Robert DeNiro and a cast of far too many  If the Juggler has said it, it must...

‘Optimism’: A Poem for the Graduating Class of 2025, by Benjamin Daniel Lukey

The Society
July 5, 2025
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
6 Comments
. Optimism ---to the Class of 2025 The world is cold and hard and dark enough; We need not cloud it with our own despair. And it is furnished, too, with joyous stuff, And you may find a blessing anywhere You...

‘Never Time to Spare’ and Other Poetry by Gigi Ryan

The Society
July 5, 2025
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
10 Comments
. Never Time to Spare ---a villanelle My daughter, I am watching you with love for I’ve been there, When dishes overflow the sink and books are everywhere, When everyday seems just the same with never time...

A Poem on the Ghost Town Bodie, by James A. Tweedie

The Society
July 4, 2025
Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
. Bodie The whistled whispers of a desert wind Drift through the dusty streets and haunted halls Where faded lives of those who loved and sinned Now flicker-flit like shadows on the walls. Unhinged, once...

‘Independence Day, 2025’: A Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
July 4, 2025
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
33 Comments
. Independence Day, 2025 It’s so much more than red and white and blue And stars that spangle banners flying high. It’s something strong and stark and deep and true. It burns with answers to the question...

A Poem After Chesterton’s ‘A Ballad of Theatricals’, by M.D. Skeen

The Society
July 3, 2025
Culture, Poetry
5 Comments
. IRL —after G.K. Chesterton’s "A Ballad of Theatricals" (reprinted below) Though all the emails I receive—surprisingly politely read—Although the students can deceive,Although the work is fast...

‘The Playland’: A Poem by Shamik Banerjee

The Society
July 3, 2025
Beauty, Poetry
16 Comments
. The Playland Once in a playland caked with fresh-born mud, I saw a league of book-freed children smile collectively like petals of a bud in varied forms, yet similar all the while. Palms latched, they...

SCP Symposium In-Person in September in Naperville, Illinois

The Society
July 2, 2025
From the Society, Poetry, Readings, Symposium
1 Comment
. Request for Expression of Interest SCP Poet Russel Winick has graciously agreed to host an in-person SCP Symposium at his large residence in Naperville, Illinois. The tentative dates are from the evening of...

‘Summer Family Cookout’: A Poem by Doug Stoiber

The Society
July 2, 2025
Beauty, Poetry
14 Comments
. Summer Family Cookout Criss-cross, hamburger toss, _Flip that sizzlin’ patty! Pretty please, and top with cheese! _You’re the Great Grill Master, Daddy! Three-two-one, slide it on a bun! _With ketchup,...

‘Bayesian Hubris v. Mercy Seat 11A’: A Poem by James Sale

The Society
July 1, 2025
Beauty, Poetry
19 Comments
. Bayesian Hubris v. Mercy Seat 11A “Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, who miraculously walked away from the Ahmedabad disaster, in which more than 240 people were killed” ---The Daily Telegraph on Air India...

‘Gorge’: A Poem on Fishing by Stephen M. Dickey

The Society
July 1, 2025
Poetry, Satire
10 Comments
. Gorge Millennia before the Bass Pro tours, Sonar fish finders and electric reels, Some unsung pioneer dreamed baits and lures, Felt in his blood how landing lunkers feels. The knuckle dragger took a piece...
poem/yapko/culture

‘On the Existence of Two Genders’: A Poem by Brian Yapko

The Society
June 30, 2025
Culture, Poetry
33 Comments
. On the Existence of Two Genders Note: This poem is written in response to the trans-driven push to promulgate the idea that gender is either non-binary or does not exist at all---a nonsensical notion which...

‘Therapy’: A Poem by Mary Jane Myers

The Society
June 30, 2025
Culture, Humor, Poetry
22 Comments
. Therapy ---After "Help! I Can’t Stop Speaking in Iambic!" by Cynthia Erlandson Help! I can’t stop writing psychobabble!No matter what I pen, it comes out gabble. I scribble nonsense verses all the...

‘Every Square Inch’: A Poem by Frank Rable

The Society
June 29, 2025
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
12 Comments
. Every Square Inch Her every square inch, her breath, and her voice, In all this and more my soul can rejoice. The beat from her heart, the wink from her eye, The times she is bold, and then she is shy. The...

Two Poems on Cardinals, by T.M. Moore

The Society
June 29, 2025
Beauty, Love Poems, Poetry
12 Comments
. Cardinals The cardinal is my favorite bird.They mate for life, or so I’ve heard.You hear them sing antiphonally—it’s like a game they play, you see,because they like to keep in touch.But be apart?...

Report on Results of the SCP Survey of Poets

The Society
June 28, 2025
From the Society, Poetry
13 Comments
. Report on Results of the SCP Survey of Poets by Roy E. Peterson and Evan Mantyk The survey had 60 respondents, about 1/3rd of them were SCP Members. Respondents were asked to rate the importance of basic...

SCP Poetry Competition Winners’ Symposium—You’re Invited! (Updated with Link)

The Society
June 28, 2025
From the Society, Poetry, Readings, Symposium
3 Comments
. The SCP Poetry Competition Winners’ Symposium Join the Symposium here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4772266878?pwd=V0lGeUFuSGFkeExOaTM4NlZ6NWRlUT09   You're Invited!  Who: Everyone is invited to attend,...
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