Author The Society

. Younger Selves I have you leaning up against my side, Our boys and girls around us on the couch. Below the window, watching from outside, Our younger selves, age twelve, crawl up and crouch. The boy and...

. Earthquake in Morocco---8 September, 2023 My flight to Casablanca landed late, and through an ill-chanced vagary of Fate I found myself---soon Mauritania bound--- Inside a gangway, meters off the...

. Reflection on the Approach of Another Birthday “He found them in a wilderness, a wasteland…” ---Deuteronomy 32:10 I find, I fear, I can’t outleap, As age begins its yearly creep To center stage, the...

. Not Forgetting 9.11 in 2023 New York, the City that I've only seen In flashes, glimpses, footage, faraway, New York I've read about, you filter in To every cranny of America. We are your suburbs, everywhere...

. . Wings of Desire: Canto I of Paradise by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) translated by Stephen Binns . God’s glory, which moves all, sends beams to bless __each thing in space, reflected just as bright __as...

. Dirge of the Dimwits  “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than   sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”  ---Martin Luther King, Jr. We’ve reached the point of no return. __We hurtled...

. . Blackberry Memories We’d fill our buckets to the brim--- __my brother, sis, and I--- and rush the juicy berries home __for Grandma’s cobbler pie, our oatmeal, or for Mama’s jam--- __sweet scenes from...

. Perchance to Dream __The sky is wide, __The sea is deep, And when we’ve woken into sleep __A place to hide __Cannot be found, For probing eyes are all around. __The day is bright __And notes are...

. Nine: A Song for a Granddaughter for a girl, M___, raised in my household, though not a blood relative 1 She is the girl who cheers my heart: “Come, Jeff. Let’s play!” she voices smart And innocent as...

. Classical Poets Live with Andrew Benson Brown Episode 6 Part 2 of 3: The Problem with Prestigious Poetry Journals If you enjoy this video, please like and subscribe on YouTube to support the...

. Have a Pity for War! Have a pity for war, When its friends are no more. All its chums gone away, With no one to slay, Left silent and calm, And no one to harm. It’s a destitute life In a world without...

. . A Curveball of Blackbirds “Thousands of blackbirds fell out of the sky….” —The New York Times    . Five thousand blackbirds from the sky. ____I don’t know why. Neither do they, the EPA, State...

. Pilgrimage The strong will long to go on pilgrimage, Assembling to reclaim their heritage Of sanctity and stable permanence Embezzled by debased belligerence, For life is war, as Job so aptly said; We battle...

. The Workaholic Takes Time Off Dear Partners: I apologize for having Less than normal time today. I have a wedding lunch at noon, But will stay free till then I pray. I’ll also be available At 2 if you...

. Hymn to the Night Every thinking creature adores the light __Where twinkling stones and stars and flowers stun Senseless matter into a sense of sight __And all behold the splendors of the sun. First...

. A Madrigal Setting Music composed by James A. Tweedie for William Shakespeare's "Come Away" from Twelfth Night. Words by William Shakespeare are below. . . Come away, come away, death, __And in sad...

. On Professionally Hesitant Poets O, for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention! —Shakespeare, Henry V Old Vergil guided Dante to the place Where uncommitted, opportunist...

. On Going Through Max's Things in memory of Max Rizley, Jr., 1956-2001 As sand slips through my fingers at the beach, Withdrawing swiftly, like the sighing tide, So slipped your life away beyond my reach, Out...

. . Late Bloomers My last red rose-of-sharon __Is slowly curling closed, Each giant shell-shaped petal __Beginning to turn in, The five of them a pinwheel, __Crepe-paper veins exposed To August’s...

. Fallen The Universe was perfect, Heaven and Earth, Upon Almighty God’s Creation’s birth! He made the spirit-beings, Angels, free; And later, Man with physicality. Most-favored Lucifer the Fair grew...

. Reviewed Book: Making Music by Sally Cook, White Violet Press, 2012 by Monika Cooper Making Music by Sally Cook is a book that comes with a painting on its cover, a still life no less. Wine-colored drapery...

. But the great Master said, "I see No best in kind, but in degree; I gave a various gift to each, To charm, to strengthen, and to teach." ---Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "The Singers" First Prize: $2,000....

. But the great Master said, “I see No best in kind, but in degree; I gave a various gift to each, To charm, to strengthen, and to teach.” —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Singers” First...

. Covidiocy a rondeau It’s coming back! The tyrants tack From tongues that twist and hearts that lack An honest song. It’s on the news--- Cruel rules for fools who suck up schmooze That oozes from each...

. Excuse My Excuse An excuse—that’s a word to excuse at those times when I need a good ruse __which I’ll put to good use __while I find some excuse which will not leave folks singing the blues. If the...

. Tough Love and Hugs “Where the heck do they learn this crap?” one father asked another. __When we were kids---we never talked like that. “Almost every kid I knew at least went out for sports… __No...

. The Pilgrimage The lover takes leave of his mistress's mouth And starts on his pilgrimage, travelling south. Each stop on his journey he marks with a kiss, And lingers a moment, prolonging their bliss. He...

. God Made These Texas Summers The Summer’s come again To the vast Texas plain, Where touching any metal Can instantly cause pain. The horny toads are resting In shadows of the rocks, And cowboys now are...

. At the Dog Store “Now this hound here’s a Disappointment Hound. His dam was Thwart; his pappy’s name was Slink. He’ll chew up expectations in a wink and snake along, his belly to the ground. Sir, you...

. The Pietà or Mickey Mouse? A book I’ve read depicts a boy Who’s searching for creative joy. His mind can’t focus on a vision, So he’s weighed down by indecision: To carve the rock behind his...

. Belling the Cat The mice called a council to try to defeat A troublesome cat who would ruthlessly eat Any mouse in the house that she happened to meet. A young mouse spoke first. “Pay attention to...

. Aphorisms for a Foggy Morning No literary monuments exist without the word. A lord who lacks entitlements is patently absurd. A song that has no sound to give has never yet been heard. Two wings for every...

. The Magic Casket 'Twas in the local funeral home __The miracle occurred, As ticking clock hands kissed at noon __And restless spirits stirred… A gasp, a creak, a quake, a crash, __A spectral puff...

. Broad Brush Art What’s considered great art isn’t static at all. There are always new trends that beguile and enthrall. We’ve had cave art, art deco, abstract and baroque. There was cubist,...

. Lessons from the Sky I breathe the bracing air, I feel the dew Wet through my shoes and socks. The morning’s fair, The sky’s a waiting canvas backed with blue, The sun still sleeps, my eyes cut through...

. A Deeper Scaly Screed "'Rich Men North of Richmond' is a passionate screed against the state of the country sung by Oliver Anthony, who identifies as a farmer living off the grid with his three dogs in...

. Sonnet for Houston The highway shuffles traffic as the sun begins to bake the tarmac; its black emits waves of heat that waver as it gets a thousand fractions hotter. Heat is one of many factors I find under...

. Modern Times . I. The Cutting-Edge Misogynist He slams the bland and damned old-fashioned type--- Those tiresome dinosaurs born with a womb--- The sexless species of the XX stripe--- The sort he states must...

. The Merry Wanderer When God wills man to know His favor, He sends him where the wide world gleams And makes him wonder at the splendor Of mountains, forests, fields and streams. The lazybones at home lies...

. Trump and Old Slow Joe Republicans and elephants go back a long, long way. The elephant that’s in the room is Donald Trump, today. But if it were a China shop I daresay Trump would be More “bull” than...