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      The Society
      March 18, 2015
      Beauty, Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Poetry, Popular Poetry Archives
      12 Comments
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      August 14, 2025
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      Poetry, Poetry Challenge, Poetry Contests
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The Society of Classical Poets was founded in New York in July, 2012.

poem/cooper/melon

‘El Melon’ and Other Poetry by Monika Cooper

The Society
March 9, 2023
Beauty, Blank Verse, Culture, Poetry
20 Comments
. El Melon There is a maze or map on melon skin Even the blind could read and seek to solve. A little girl watches the housewives, deft, Touching the head shapes swiftly, one by one, Until they somehow know...
poem/pietrack/childrens/legacy

‘Poet Tree’: An Excerpt from Legacy: The Saga Begins, by Michael Pietrack

The Society
March 8, 2023
Beauty, Children's, Poetry
27 Comments
. Poet Tree Legacy: The Saga Begins is a 14-chapter narrative poem. In this excerpt, the adolescent hero Abelbee, who has to venture deep into the Great Wood to find wise Vallenbee, arrives at...
poem/coats/strike

A Poem on the French Pension Reform Strike, by Margaret Coats

The Society
March 7, 2023
Culture, Poetry
20 Comments
. Why Strike? With prices high and living standards low, Our times are like what our grandparents knew. They fought world war; we slave for war abroad And soon will labor through retirement too. We export...

‘Farinelli’: A Poem on the Famous Castrato by Brian Yapko

The Society
March 7, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
88 Comments
. Farinelli A thousand thanks, Martini, for your visit. Bologna is a town of balladeers. You’ll love it! Now I wonder, how long is it Since we both quit Madrid? Ah! Twenty years Since I last sang before the...
poem/bonham/ecclesiastes

‘Lean on Him’: A Poem by Warren Bonham

The Society
March 6, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
. Lean on Him after Ecclesiasties We labor long beneath the sun. Forgotten soon by everyone. We come from dust and end the same, Depart this life just like we came. It’s all just chasing wind...
poem/byrant/gossip

For Jerks Who Gossip: Two Poems by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
March 5, 2023
Poetry, Rondeau, Satire
34 Comments
. Gossip “There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it hardly becomes any of us to talk about the rest of us.” ---Edward Wallis Hoch Its spice, its ire, its hot...
poem/winick/aging

A Poem on Aging Gracefully: ‘Evolution’ by Russel Winick

The Society
March 5, 2023
Beauty, Poetry, Satire
25 Comments
. Evolution I can’t run fast or jump high anymore. Mistakes I make I never made before. Some maladies and aches don’t have a cure, Alertness and reflexes are less sure. My memory is challenged on most...
poem/HANDLEY-SCHACHLER/homeric heroes

‘Homeric Hot or Not’: Poem by Morrison Handley-Schachler

The Society
March 5, 2023
Homer, Humor, Poetry
18 Comments
. Homeric Hot or Not (Hotness Ratings Out of 10) . 10 By birth divine and radiantly tressed And beautiful and of a charm possessed That turns men into pigs if she’s inclined, A better girl than Circe none...
poem/macgregor/god

‘Before Going to Sleep as a Boy’ and Other Poetry by Tiree MacGregor

The Society
March 4, 2023
Beauty, Epigrams and Proverbs, Poetry
5 Comments
. Before Going to Sleep as a Boy I saw Him when I closed my eyes, Gazing down sidelong, seeing all, Serenely, stoically wise. I knew that judgement was to fall But found His habit was to look Past me—a...
poem/erlandson/lost child

A Poem on a Lost Child: ‘Ruben’ and Other Poetry by Cynthia Erlandson

The Society
March 4, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
32 Comments
. Ruben “We have words that speak of the ongoing presence of such privations: orphan, widow, widower. And perhaps the fact that we have no word for the parent who has lost a child is itself a testimony...
poem/anderson/afghanistan

‘Civics 101’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
March 3, 2023
Culture, Epigrams and Proverbs, Poetry, Satire
23 Comments
. Civics 101 Jejune excuses used too many times Do not undo the doer from the deed: A miscreant accused of many crimes Is not the type of model children need. A partisan devoted to a cause Who votes his...
poem/scheltens/beauty

‘Of When I Lived in Prague’: A Poem by Isabel Scheltens

The Society
March 3, 2023
Beauty, Poetry
12 Comments
. Of When I Lived in Prague--- I wander through a maze of gold and stone, Mosaic pavement watched by gilded faces; Bridges, towers etched with cryptic traces Of bygone kings that haunt a bygone throne. I...
poem/essmann/transgederism

‘Eulogy for a Them’: Poem on a Transgender Burial by Jeffrey Essmann

The Society
March 2, 2023
Culture, Poetry, Satire
33 Comments
. Eulogy for a Them We gather here to celebrate a him Or her (an it? a they?) and in the end A prophet of the present who could bend Reality to suit their loosest whim. For whatsoever they had been or...
poem/frank/screens/phones

A Group of Poems on Screen Obsession, by Joshua C. Frank

The Society
March 2, 2023
Culture, Pantoum, Poetry, Triolet
32 Comments
. Screened. I. The Phony Mom a true story Her phone, in hand above the stroller, Blocked her baby from her view. She held it like a game controller, Adoring every pixel’s hue As mothers not so long...
poem/beauty/peach blossoms

‘Peach Blossom Dreaming’ by Margaret Coats

The Society
March 1, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Shape Poems
35 Comments
. Peach Blossom Dreaming Peach blossoms furnish inwrought dreaming room Intangible to fingertips corrupt; __Substantially beyond each tapered petal’s plume Flow fragrances to subtly interrupt The wintry...
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...
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