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    • 'Good Friday Rain': A Poem by Martin Rizley

      The Society
      April 18, 2025
      Beauty, Culture, Poetry
      9 Comments
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    • ‘On 125 Anniversary of Nietzsche’s Death’: A Poem by Warren Bonham

      The Society
      August 25, 2025
    • A Video Poetry Reading of ‘Extinction’ by Mary Jane Myers

      The Society
      August 24, 2025
    • A Poetic Retelling of the Myth of Icarus and Daedalus, Martin Rizley

      The Society
      August 24, 2025
    • ‘When Prices Surge’: A Poem by Paul A. Freeman

      The Society
      August 23, 2025
      10
    • ‘The Capital’: A Poem by Bruce Dale Wise

      The Society
      August 23, 2025
      5
    • Inspiring Muse Poetry Challenge

      The Society
      August 22, 2025
      42
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      CPL: Reading of FoFG Poetry Competition Winner, Interview with James Sale, and More

      The Society
      May 30, 2023
      Classical Poets Live, Epic, Human Rights in China, Interviews, Poetry, Poetry Contests, Readings, Video
      13 Comments
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    • SCP Haiku Competition Featured on Radio New Zealand

      The Society
      July 26, 2025
      3
    • The Society of Classical Poets 2025 Haiku Competition

      The Society
      June 21, 2025
      644
    • Winners of Friends of Falun Gong 2025 Poetry Competition Announced

      The Society
      May 13, 2025
      1
    • 2025 Friends of Falun Gong Poetry Competition

      The Society
      March 31, 2025
    • The Best Poems of 2024: Winners of SCP International Poetry Competition

      The Society
      February 1, 2025
      28
    • Winners of 2024 SCP International High School Poetry Competition Announced

      The Society
      February 1, 2025
      2
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Author The Society

The Society

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

The Perils of “Perfection”: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
June 12, 2021
Essays, Poetry
40 Comments
. Persons devoted to formal, metrical poetry are susceptible to a specific disease, much in the same way as light-skinned persons are apt to get bad sunburns, and sedentary persons are prone to hemorrhoids and...

A Review of Amanda Hall’s The Gift of Life: An Epic in Verse

The Society
June 12, 2021
Essays, Poetry, Reviews
31 Comments
Reviewed Book: The Gift of Life: An Epic in Verse by Amanda Hall, 2021. by Margaret Coats So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. ---Shakespeare, "Sonnet...

‘Two Lives’ by Michael Charles Maibach

The Society
June 11, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
9 Comments
. When soldiers die,They give two lives.The one they had, And one denied: The spouse not met,The child unknown,The life unsaved,The welcome home, The hill unclimbed,The beach unseen,The books unread,The...

‘Providence’ by Stephen Ramsek

The Society
June 11, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
2 Comments
. The mystic steed gave chase to red-eyed day, His forelock flying in the morn’s raw gust. Providence, my constant mount with whom I, On hills and shores, through lofty steeps and crags Had foolhardily...

‘Storage and Retrieval’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
June 10, 2021
Beauty, Poetry
8 Comments
. Storage and Retrieval In the dank cellar of the human mind Are stored a lifetime’s worth of rusted tools And strands of uttered words, both cruel and kind, That molder in the moil of golden rules. There,...

‘Back to The Beginning’ by Mike Bryant

The Society
June 10, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
45 Comments
. “I want answers. I want all the words the poem whispers to be made flesh, to sit opposite me, and to shout out the reason for our existence…” ---Susan Jarvis Bryant on Daniel Kemper’s poem He who is,...

A Poem on Foster Care: ‘Fostering Faith’ by Bethany Mootsey

The Society
June 9, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
7 Comments
. Fostering Faith Will you slip through the system’s wide cracks Like a ball down a driveway’s storm drain? Will you bounce between homes, leaving tracks That they’ll only retrace if you’re slain? See,...

To the Class of 2021: A Graduation Poem by Benjamin Daniel Lukey

The Society
June 8, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
6 Comments
. Hardship and Destiny to the Class of 2021 The time is now at hand; the bow is bent To shoot you forth across the open sky. And as you think on what these years have meant, You may know where you wish to...

‘Golden Anniversary’ by Johanna Donovan

The Society
June 8, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Love Poems, Poetry
12 Comments
. Will this reclaim the long-lost Muse perched on the tree of I.O.U.’s? Can I now join Miss E. B. Browning as she proclaimed her love---its counting? Her art’s not mine; I know that much. The years sped...

‘The Change of Seasons’ by Lucia Haase

The Society
June 7, 2021
Beauty, Poetry
16 Comments
. The Summer's ushered in to close Spring's tale;New chapters are revealed in nature's story. The seasons' story arc will without failExpress great beauty, speaking of God's glory.There's differences of...

A Poem on Critical Race Theory, by James A. Tweedie

The Society
June 6, 2021
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Poetry
21 Comments
. Signs of the Times “Post-modern” is the “ism” of the land; Reality is hanging by a thread. Objective truth? Rejected out of hand. And God and moral absolutes are dead. Ignore what ancient wisdom had...

A Poem on Affirmative Action: ‘Unintended Consequence,’ and Other Poetry by Russel Winick

The Society
June 6, 2021
Culture, Humor, Poetry
8 Comments
. Unintended Consequence The African-American High schooler had poor grades. Folks worried for his future, Seeing little effort made. Some caring people spoke to him, And urged it would be best, If he worked...

‘A Slice’ and Other Petrarchan Sonnets by Peter Austin

The Society
June 5, 2021
Culture, Humor, Poetry
9 Comments
. A Slice from a sonnet by Eleanor Alexander For me, my friends, no graveside vigil keep, With gnashing teeth and sodden handkerchief And grievous howls of outraged disbelief That I, so virile once, am six...

What’s Writing Classical Poetry All About?

The Society
June 4, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Education, Essays, Poetry, Readings
11 Comments
Originally published in The Epoch Times by James Sale Very recently, I hosted a live online poetry event for New York’s Society of Classical Poets (SCP). I introduced six American poets, of whom two were...

‘Tank Man—Remembering The Unknown Rebel’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
June 4, 2021
Culture, Human Rights in China, Poetry
23 Comments
. During the Tiananmen Square Massacre, Tank Man (his name has been reported as Wang Weilin, a 19-year-old student) was arrested for “political hooliganism.” Varying reports suggested he was either...

A Poem on the Australian Mice Plague, by Norma Pain

The Society
June 3, 2021
Culture, Humor, Poetry
18 Comments
. To the Residents Down Below I am a bookish kind of rat And like each rat before me, I’ve come to the conclusion that There’s few folks that adore me. Although I feel that this is wrong, I try to be...

‘The Birthday Rose’ by Cheryl Corey

The Society
June 3, 2021
Culture, Humor, Poetry
13 Comments
. Her birthday cake was verily a sight--- A work of art, a sugary-sweet confection, That much to all the revelers’ delight, The baker decorated to perfection. It brought a special twinkle to her eye, To...

‘Épuration’ by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
June 2, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
. On the Greek isle of Tilos are the ruins of the sanctuary of Pythian Apollo. Over them has been built the Church of the Archangel Michael. "Now rot here on the earth that nourishes men. No longer will you...

Comments on the Decline of American Universities

The Society
June 2, 2021
Culture, Education, Essays, Poetry
4 Comments
American historian Victor Davis Hanson and Canadian professor Jordan Peterson recently commented on the decline of American universities. Though they did not specifically mention poetry, the mainstream poetry...

‘Resist!’ by Joe Tessitore

The Society
June 1, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
15 Comments
. The enemy has canceled me And yet, as far as I can see, I still exist, I am still here And so resist and have no fear. Theirs is a vile, historic curse, But this time, friends, it will be worse. There’s...

Two Poems on Old Age, by C.B. Anderson

The Society
June 1, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry
26 Comments
. Default, to a Fault There are as many deeds I ought to do As there are jobs in urgent need of doing. My task is knowing whether to pursue Them, or, too overwhelmed, to stop pursuing. As numerous as shores...
poetry/homeschooling/teachers guide

Learning Poetry: A Guide for Students, Teachers, and Homeschoolers

The Society
May 31, 2021
Education, From the Society, Poetry
2 Comments
. For teachers seeking a quick solution, see 10 Great Poems for Teaching in High School Classrooms. Introduction to Poetry Illuminating yet mysterious, exciting yet elegant: classical poetry never goes out of...

A Memorial Day Poem: ‘Friends on the Wall’ by Roy E. Peterson

The Society
May 31, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
8 Comments
. To my friends on the wall who fought valiantly,We thank all the dead for ensuring we’re free.Remembrance, though fleeting, is etched on this wall.Above waves Old Glory. You answered his call. With honor...

Two Poems for Memorial Day 2021, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
May 30, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
25 Comments
. R e w i n d... If time could suck the bullet from torn flesh, And pry its steely bite from splintered bone, Stitch tattered life and limb to start afresh, Unbloody muddy trench, uncast the stone; If time...

‘#shun #shame #shazam! Land of the Canceled’ by Tonia Kalouria

The Society
May 30, 2021
Culture, Poetry
6 Comments
. “We’re running things now; we are great, you are small.” “You will talk as we think, or you’ll not talk at all.” No longer permitted to utter their Truth, they are banished and...

Metrical Variation: Part I, Freedom from Concession

The Society
May 29, 2021
Essays, Poetry
35 Comments
by Daniel Kemper “Metrical variation” is widely used in discussing late twentieth and early twenty-first century poetry writing. Although this term technically includes both random variation and...

‘The Empty Bed’ by Phil S. Rogers

The Society
May 28, 2021
Beauty, Poetry
11 Comments
. He wakes up with the morning’s light, __stares at the empty bed. A ritual for fourteen years __since tears have all been shed. The empty coffee cup remains __unused upon the shelf, and never touched in...

‘Chaos Abounds’ and Other Poetry by Randal A. Burd, Jr.

The Society
May 27, 2021
Culture, Human Rights in China, Poetry
5 Comments
. Chaos Abounds What thoughts are left unthought? What is profound? Does any quest of value still remain? So much that once was sacred, now profane, Defines the soul still searching. Common ground May not...

A Limerick on Life and Other Poetry, by Joe Tessitore

The Society
May 26, 2021
Beauty, Haiku and Senryu, Limerick, Poetry
19 Comments
. Limerick I have lived my whole life about me And at last I can finally see That my choice only smothers, Life is all about others And the truth really does set you free. . . Senryu I was born to...
poem/corey/winter/snowflake

‘A Snowflake’ and Other Poetry by Jacky Pun

The Society
May 26, 2021
Beauty, Haiku and Senryu, Poetry
12 Comments
. Haiku A grounded sparrow Wings hurt, head raised to the sky "Is this how I die?" . . A Snowflake From sky’s descent and earthward bound, __A snowflake, small and bright; It’s slow and steady, floating...

A Poem on the Collapse of Darwin’s Arch, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
May 25, 2021
Culture, Humor, Music, Poetry
69 Comments
. Fallen Arches “Not one change of species into another is on record… we cannot prove that a single species has been changed.” ---Charles Darwin I heard today that Darwin’s Arch had crumbled. Its lid...
poem/belli/brothel

‘The Tale of Tatyana The Temptress’ by Jeff Eardley

The Society
May 25, 2021
Humor, Poetry
12 Comments
. Her name was Tatyana she had eyes of steely blue, She seemed the sort of girl from whom you’d learn a thing or two. So ample in the bosom and so slender in the hips, And every man she came across would...

‘Up Beat’ by Damian Robin

The Society
May 24, 2021
Beauty, Poetry
8 Comments
. I met the Sun this Maytime morning, it stunned the outside wall. Across the day I watched it yawning, make dangling shadows crawl. No curtain clouds closed down its shining. Its single brilliance...

‘Moon Song’ and Other Poetry by Michael Curtis

The Society
May 24, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Love Poems, Poetry
5 Comments
. Moon Song Selene to Endymion Night, for ever, ever night. __Sleep as the Gods would sleep, __Beautiful boy; sleep; sleep; Rest ever in the cool night. I shall smile on you moon-bright, __Lay beside you and...

SCP Spring 2021 Poetry Reading Videos

The Society
May 23, 2021
Poetry, Readings, Video
19 Comments
...

The SCP Spring 2021 Poetry Reading, Online

The Society
May 23, 2021
From the Society, Poetry, Readings
10 Comments
. Videos of this event now available here. You are invited to a reading of exquisite poetry and conversations with the poets. This reading is part of a quarterly series of online poetry readings planned for...
Nubien, King of Armenia

‘On Turning Seventy’ by James A. Tweedie

The Society
May 23, 2021
Culture, Humor, Poetry
37 Comments
. Today I will be turning seventy, An age I’ll claim with some temerity. I’ll welcome it with both serenity And sober, grave, austere solemnity. I’d hoped to celebrate my destiny By jotting down some...

‘Sunset’ by Michael Miller

The Society
May 22, 2021
Beauty, Love Poems, Poetry
7 Comments
. A life alone is at its center bare, A quiet conversation with myself, A single, threadbare suit I always wear, A volume set aside upon life's shelf. A time or two fate's hands would find me...

‘Climate Charge’: A Poem for Pentecost by Margaret Coats

The Society
May 22, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Terza Rima
36 Comments
. The Spirit blazes in an upper room; A hundred twenty flames spout sparks to cast Christ’s wildfire on the earth, and make it bloom. The Magdalen, apostle unsurpassed, Conveys her fragrant nard to salve...

‘The Winds of War Now Howl’ by Roy E. Peterson

The Society
May 21, 2021
Culture, Poetry
13 Comments
. May 12, 2021 The weakness of this president’s admin Has put us in the mess that we are in. The winds of war now howl all over the place From Israel to UFOs in space. The hombres cross the border with such...
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