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    • 'Ghosts of the Watchtower': A Poem by Kyle Fiske

      The Society
      October 10, 2024
      Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Rubaiyat
      10 Comments
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      The Society
      July 17, 2025
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      2
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      8
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      July 15, 2025
      13
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      July 15, 2025
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      The Society
      August 30, 2022
      Beauty, Culture, Haiku and Senryu, Poetry, Poetry Contests
      30 Comments
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The Society of Classical Poets was founded in New York in July, 2012.

poem/rizley/spring shower

‘Spring Shower’ and Other Poetry by Martin Rizley

The Society
February 28, 2023
Beauty, Poetry
19 Comments
. Spring Shower How beautiful the rain– The cool and cleansing rain! I watch as tiny rivulets Run down my window pane And countless glad and golden drops Renew the earth again. How tender is the rain! With...
poem/yapko/covid leak

A Poem on the Covid Lab Leak, by Brian Yapko

The Society
February 27, 2023
Covid-19, Culture, Poetry, Satire
58 Comments
. Born in a Wuhan Lab Newsflash: U.S. Energy Department says it was probably a lab leak. Those men in suits and labcoats thought it worth The lives of millions from their ivory tower To falsify the truth...
poetry/bryant/contest

Whatfinger Poetry Contest

The Society
February 27, 2023
Poetry, Poetry Contests
45 Comments
. ABOUT THE CONTEST Many poets who have been published by the Society of Classical Poets have had their poems linked to, and therefore promoted, by the news aggregator Whatfinger over the years. The people who...
poem/rhodes/piano lesson

‘The Piano Student’: A Poem by Royal Rhodes

The Society
February 27, 2023
Beauty, Music, Poetry
6 Comments
. The Piano Student Glissandos flow like rivers from the keys, One by one, you slide with practiced skill And let us hear some hidden melodies, Delighting in these notes that lift and thrill. When you play...
poem/Almahdi/dilmun

‘Delmon’s Progeny’ and Other Poetry by Wael Almahdi

The Society
February 26, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
16 Comments
. Delmon’s Progeny Delmon, also known as Dilmun, is a Semitic culture connected to Mesopotamia that flourished in the 2nd millennium B.C.  Beneath the torrid coastal sun tenacious men these waters...

A Poem on the Loss of Free Speech: ‘Bite Your Tongue’ by Norma Pain

The Society
February 26, 2023
Culture, Poetry, Satire
73 Comments
. Bite Your Tongue If you should feel the sudden urge __To put forth your opinions, Letting sundry thoughts diverge __To influence the minions. Just take a moment to reflect __On whether to opine, Or shut-up...
poem/Tweedi/winter

‘Winter Hyphenation’: A Poem by James A. Tweedie

The Society
February 25, 2023
Beauty, Humor, Poetry
16 Comments
. Winter Hyphenation Knit cap above, two squinting eyes below Face frozen fresh-fall snowfall, white as snow. Constricted pupils dim the sight and fight Against the blinding sunrise-lumined light. An...
poem/frank/murder

A Poem on the Eli Hart Murder: ‘A Woman’s Right’ by Joshua C. Frank

The Society
February 24, 2023
Culture, Poetry
15 Comments
. A Woman’s Right Eli Hart's story was highlighted by the Daily Wire here. Come hear of little Eli Hart— His father fought the “family court,” Misnamed misandrists lacking heart. His mind-sick mother...

‘The Meek, Not the Weak, Shall Inherit the Earth’ and Other Poetry by Roy E. Peterson

The Society
February 24, 2023
Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. On Hate God hates the evildoer and I can do no less. He gave us ten commandments for evil to assess. He helped identify them—the evil and the bad— And then he brought destruction with every power he...

‘Moon Garden Party’ by Margaret Coats

The Society
February 23, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
34 Comments
. Moon Garden Party It’s small and all reserved For plants that love full sun, Edges distinct though curved Refine how moments run Through dainty daisy days Succeeded when they’re done By crazed azaleas’...
poem/Aristotle/ethics/Venable

‘Aristotle Abridged’: A Poem by Peter Venable

The Society
February 23, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
8 Comments
. Aristotle Abridged* And so we ponder virtue and vice. __We seek the mean, not the extreme. Perplexed, I ask for wise advice: __Why does not vice ever suffice? Excess—restraint—both have a price. __So...
poem/bryant/dahl

A Poem on Roald Dahl Revisions: ‘Willy Wonky’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
February 22, 2023
Culture, Poetry, Satire
65 Comments
. Willy Wonky on the revision of Roald Dahl’s works  The whacky wokester clowns employed at Puffin Are wrecking classics with exciting stuff in. They’re ditching all the derring-do and...
poem/buchheit/satire/reagan

A Poem on Ronald Reagan: ‘The Reagan’ by Paul Buchheit

The Society
February 22, 2023
Humor, Poetry, Satire, The Raven
60 Comments
. The Reagan with apologies to Edgar Allan Poe Once upon a long and weary voting day with chances dreary for a quaint and curious choice, a nominee we all adore; while I gauged the sense of voting, suddenly I...
poem/mantyk/beauty

‘The Emerald Queen’: A Poem by Evan Mantyk

The Society
February 21, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
32 Comments
. The Emerald Queen A Legend from the Future . Part I. Have you heard the old tale of the Emerald Queen? ‘Twas a long time ago when folks would demean Us humans as animals—nothing else more!— Evolved...

‘Through the Eyes of Angels’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko

The Society
February 21, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
32 Comments
. Through the Eyes of Angels Look down upon the Earth as angels might! See seas as insignificant as ponds, Each desert a mere sandbox. From this height Vast forests are a park, the sun a bronze And distant...
poem/robin/culture

‘Reckoning’: A Poem on Looming Global Conflict by Mike Bryant

The Society
February 20, 2023
Culture, Poetry
34 Comments
. Reckoning Will darkness drop again so we may know The thrill and chill of winter blowing, storming, And will we feel death's icy undertow As husks of hell begin their frantic swarming? Will manna rot or...
poem/freeman/uyghurs/propaganda

A Poem on Uyghurs Forced to Create Propaganda in China, by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
February 20, 2023
Human Rights in China, Poetry
20 Comments
. In a School of Transformation I fix a mildly-optimistic smile upon my face, which until lately bore a tortured hue whilst in a pool of bile and piss I lay---upon a prison floor. I sing a lusty, patriotic...
poem/salemi/death

Three Poems of Mortality, with Candles, by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
February 19, 2023
Beauty, Poetry
32 Comments
. Officium Defunctorum Spiritus meus attenuabitur, dies mei breviabuntur, et solum mihi superest sepulcrum. —Job 17:1 There is no need for first or final vow; Our cities all are monasteries now, And every...

‘La Sirena’ and Other Poetry by Monika Cooper

The Society
February 19, 2023
Beauty, Blank Verse, Culture, Poetry
12 Comments
. La Sirena At some point they ceased to be beautiful. Even their voices. Bare breasts, bare arms, screams Savage as acid swamped the scholar-priest His reasoned teaching fading from his lips. Bare breasts,...
poem/bryant/trolls

‘Troll’: A Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
February 18, 2023
Culture, Poetry, Rondeau Redoublé, Satire
52 Comments
. Troll   "Be like seeds; do not see dirt thrown at you as your enemy, but as ground to grow." ---Matshona Dhliwayo A witch! A witch! Let’s hush the wicked witch!     His spleen slid through the...
poem/macgregor/ezra pound

‘The Times’ and Other Poetry by Tiree MacGregor

The Society
February 18, 2023
Culture, Poetry
16 Comments
. The Times Madness clamours all around me, Brute unreason fouls the air, Rampant passion would confound me— Invitations to despair. Phantoms disperse! For reason’s terse And ancient sway Will have its...
poem/anderson/dogs

‘And Every Dog His Day’ by C.B. Anderson

The Society
February 17, 2023
Humor, Poetry
8 Comments
. And Every Dog His Day There’s no such thing as dog-years.  You were fooled By sentimental nincompoops who don’t Know how to count correctly, twits unschooled In logic or in basic facts who...
poetry/Wilson/dog

‘So Much Depends upon a Dog’ by André Le Mont Wilson

The Society
February 17, 2023
Beauty, Humor, Poetry
15 Comments
. So Much Depends upon a Dog So much depends upon a dog The earth revolves around the sun. Each day revolves around our jog— unclip your harness, watch you run, and sniff where other dogs have wet. So much...
poem/corey/winter/snowflake

‘Snowflakes’: A Poem by Cheryl Corey

The Society
February 16, 2023
Beauty, Poetry
16 Comments
. Snowflakes Now soft and white the snowflake clusters fall. The wind picks up and blusters. Millions drift Like powdered sugar shaken by a baker’s sift, All the same to the naked eye. A fractal, However,...

‘Poetic Influence’ by Joshua C. Frank

The Society
February 16, 2023
Beauty, Poetry
19 Comments
. Poetic Influence true stories I His baby girl with Mom at home, The work bus carted him away. His mother emailed him a poem (Which he would read on break that day) About another doting dad, Who saw his baby...
poem/winick/Chinese spies

A Poem on the Chinese Spy Balloon and Other Poetry by Russel Winick

The Society
February 15, 2023
Culture, Poetry, Satire
14 Comments
. The Chinese Spy Balloon From that balloon botch I’m most wondering, Why Biden stalled to shoot it from the sky. Was it more fecklessness and blundering, Or might some hidden issue underlie? Did hearing it...
poetry/whidden/poetry is dead

Modernism and the Murder of the People’s Poetry and Art: An Essay by Phillip Whidden

The Society
February 15, 2023
Art, Essays, Music, Poetry
60 Comments
. Modernism and the Murder of the People’s Poetry and Art In Response to “Poetry Died 100 Years Ago this Month” by Matthew Walther in the New York Times . by Phillip Whidden First, let’s have a sonnet...
poem/dante/inferno/paolo and francesca

Dante Meets Paolo and Francesca: Canto V of Inferno by Dante Alighieri, Translated by Stephen Binns

The Society
February 15, 2023
Dante, Epic, Poetry, Translation
13 Comments
. Dante Meets Paolo and Francesca: Canto V of Inferno by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) translated by Stephen Binns And so from that first circle I went down __into the second, where there is less space __and...
poem/anderson/love/valentines day

A Valentine’s Day ‘Appeal’ by C.B. Anderson

The Society
February 14, 2023
Humor, Love Poems, Poetry
23 Comments
. An Appeal I want to be a fiber on your loom, A constant fixture in your living room, A luscious morsel that you save for last. It's time for us to build a solid past, If only to secure a firm...
poem/yapko/love/sonnet

‘Ageless’: A Valentine’s Day Poem by Brian Yapko

The Society
February 14, 2023
Culture, Love Poems, Poetry
28 Comments
. Ageless Not in the golden mists of memory Nor in the colder mists of future years Shall I find love as true as yours for me--- A love so fair it banishes all fears. Your eyes, like sunlight, ever faithful...

‘The Ballad of Mrs. Pam Able’ and Other Poetry by Jeff Eardley

The Society
February 14, 2023
Humor, Love Poems, Poetry
24 Comments
. The Ballad of Mrs. Pam Able Mrs. Pam Able was very unstable, And loved to be tied to her dining-room table. Her friends were appalled, many names she was called, For her fatal attraction for men who were...
poem/bryant/valentine

Two Valentine’s Day Poems by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
February 13, 2023
Love Poems, Pantoum, Poetry
34 Comments
. Could it be Love? a pantoum My wits are kissed. Could it be love? My brain is drained of all but you. I’m cuckoo as a cooing dove. I have an over-rosy view. My brain is drained of all but you. A giggle...

‘Odysseus Begs?’ and Other Poetry by Bob Schildgen

The Society
February 13, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Homer, Poetry, Satire
7 Comments
. Odysseus Begs? He’s leaning on a Pluto niche machine: an ATM, balanced on his good leg— a fresh appearance in an ancient scene— a bandaged hand gropes slowly out to beg. Was he Odysseus, sail raised...
poem/freeman/picnic

A Picnic Poem by Paul Martin Freeman

The Society
February 12, 2023
Children's, Humor, Poetry
19 Comments
. The Number 128: The Picnic “Let’s go on a picnic,” the older one said; “We’ll take tins of salmon and slices of bread.” “We’ll set up a table away from the trees” “And sit in the sunshine...

‘The Signs’ and Other Poetry by Norma Pain

The Society
February 12, 2023
Poetry
18 Comments
. The Signs I saw the signs, They read, This Way. I followed them For half a day, Until my feet grew tired, Whereat… I sat. I sat to rest, The time flew by Till all the birds Had left the sky. A million...
poem/lillios/death

‘Instructions Set in Bone’: Poem by Peter Lillios Turned into Song

The Society
February 11, 2023
Beauty, Music, Poetry, Song Lyrics
20 Comments
. "Instructions Set in Bone" by Peter Lillios was first published by the Society of Classical Poets here. Now songwriter Joseph DeNatale has created a version with adapted lyrics below. . . Instructions...
poem/jobe/end of the world/asteroid

‘Extinction Event’ and Other Poetry by Carey Jobe

The Society
February 11, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
14 Comments
. Extinction Event The sky burned black the day the giants died. A flaming mountain pierced the turquoise bay. When doomsday comes, the clever know to hide. The thunder woke a mammal safe inside the burrow...
poem/tweedie/culture/Christian/motel 6

Pastoral Calls—Part 1 of 3: Poetry by Retired Pastor James A. Tweedie

The Society
February 10, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
11 Comments
. Pastoral Calls—Part 1 of 3 . Best Friends Three boys; best friends at school; now men with wives. Between them, seven children called them “Dad.” They drank, they drove too fast and lost their...
poem/day and night/sun and moon

‘Morning Glory’ and ‘Empress of the Night’ by Martin Rizley

The Society
February 10, 2023
Beauty, Poetry
14 Comments
. Morning Glory The morning mist at last has dissipated. The noonday sun is climbing to its height In cloudless skies of blue, where larks, elated, Fly round the day’s bright beaming crown of light. All...
paul/freeman/earthquake/miracle

Baby ‘Miracle’ Born in Turkey-Syria Earthquake Rubble: Poem by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
February 9, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
18 Comments
. Sonnet to a Miracle upon reading the recent news story here.  They’ve named her Miracle, that new born child found in the earthquake’s rubble, still attached to she who gave her life though hers was...
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