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    • 'Sonnet 18': A Song Inspired by Shakespeare's Sonnet by Gunny Markefka

      The Society
      April 23, 2025
      Music, Poetry, Shakespeare
      8 Comments
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      July 21, 2025
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      July 20, 2025
      2
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      July 20, 2025
      10
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      July 19, 2025
      5
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      The Society
      May 7, 2021
      Culture, Humor, Poetry, Poetry Challenge, Poetry Contests
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      March 31, 2025
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      February 1, 2025
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The Society

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

‘Tewkesbury Mason’s Mark’ by James A. Tweedie

The Society
October 19, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
29 Comments
Ego Feci Hoc A man, I was, of flesh and blood and bone, Nine-hundred years ago, I lived and died; A Norman mason skilled at cutting stone, An honored trade in which I took great pride. Eleven-Hundred...

‘Breathe Free or Die’ by Joe Tessitore

The Society
October 18, 2020
Covid-19, Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Poetry
57 Comments
  There are smiles that we will never see. There are kisses that will never be. There are songs that we will never hear For this thing that stretches, ear to ear, Will be with us till our dying...

‘The Reindeer’ and Other Poems by Brian Yapko

The Society
October 17, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
18 Comments
  The Reindeer The reindeer winter-cries in vain for his lost mate His cry turns brittle frosty-mist, ascends the clouds. His hooves make run, his antlers gouge the whited shrouds That veil the...

A Poem on Merriam-Webster Dictionary Changing the Definition of Sexual Preference, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
October 16, 2020
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Poetry
52 Comments
Newspeak During a hearing held on October 13, Senator Hirono informed Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett that the term “sexual preference” is now offensive even though Hirono herself and the...

On the PBS TV Series ‘Bob Ross, the Joy of Painting,’ and Other Poetry by Jeff Eardley

The Society
October 16, 2020
Art, Beauty, Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
  On the PBS TV Series 'Bob Ross, the Joy of Painting' I float, as happy as the clouds, Upon a sea of liquid white. Whilst cherishing this time allowed, This interval of pure delight. He speaks...

‘A New York Post Post’ by Bruce Dale Wise

The Society
October 15, 2020
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Humor, Poetry
17 Comments
  “Censorship is to art, as lynching is to justice.” —Henry Louis Gates, Jr. by Caud Sewer Bile Joe’s never spoken to his son about Burisma—No! The New York Post was not supposed to show...

‘Retired K-9’ and Other Poetry by Allen Lee Ireland

The Society
October 15, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry
13 Comments
Retired K-9 When I was young, you kept me in a cage. But as I got a little calmer, older, Sometimes you’d let me ride in the front seat Shotgun, with my paw upon your shoulder. It wasn’t just for...

‘Sonnet CXLIII’ by Jake Murel

The Society
October 14, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Love Poems, Poetry
3 Comments
What if I do compare you to a rose Or summer’s day or beauty like the night, Or drone of how I’d sit and drink a coke With you instead of viewing every sight This world can give?—the seven wonders...

‘The Tweeter Strikes Back’: A Poem on Donald Trump by Christopher Lindsay

The Society
October 13, 2020
Culture, Humor, Poetry
7 Comments
. The Tweeter Strikes Back At midnight, Don was not asleep, and so, he rose to eat and tweet. He ate McD’s; he felt relaxed. He walked around, and then he spat. On Fox, he watched a Democrat who launched a...

A Review of Juvenalia by Reid McGrath

The Society
October 12, 2020
Essays, Poetry, Reviews
12 Comments
Juvenalia by Reid McGrath, Kelsay Books, 2019 by James Sale Regular readers of The Society of Classical Poets’ pages will be familiar with the name of Reid McGrath; he has been extensively published...
poem/kelly/censorship

On the Chinese Communist Party Censoring Pence, Not Harris, and Other Poetry by Bruce Dale Wise

The Society
October 11, 2020
Deconstructing Communism, Humor, Poetry
4 Comments
  No Signal, Please Stand By by Lu “Reed ABCs” Wei Perhaps the most intriguing thing about the past debate between vice-presidential candidates was its strange fate, that when Vice President...

An Ode to Anti-French Revolution Hero ‘Charlotte Corday,’ by Jeremy Gadd

The Society
October 11, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Poetry
6 Comments
  Brave, brave, Charlotte Corday, took upon herself to slay that man of revolutionary violence, Jean-Paul Marat. On July thirteenth in ninety-three, the convent girl from near the sea, stabbed...

A Poem on Kangaroos: ‘With Spring in Their Step’ by David Watt

The Society
October 10, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
19 Comments
  When springtime has come to the high mountain ranges The melting of snow bares the landscape to changes; And creatures awaken from seasonal slumber In valleys below, where snows never...

‘While Sitting by Her’ and Other Poetry by Peter Hartley

The Society
October 9, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
27 Comments
  While Sitting by Her While sitting by her sometimes I would eye Her dextrous fingers plying to and fro While unbeknown to her, as she would sew And crochet, knit and stitch and satisfy Her urge to...

Ekphrastic Contest: Write a Poem on This Photograph

The Society
October 8, 2020
Culture, Ekphrastic, Poetry Contests, The Environment
148 Comments
See the winners here. Above is a recent photograph of Chateau Boswell, a winery, vineyard, and tasting room located in California. It has suffered terribly because of the recent “Glass Fire” in Napa...

‘Eternal Apocalypse’: A Poem on Climate Change and Others by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
October 8, 2020
Covid-19, Humor, Poetry, The Environment
24 Comments
  Eternal Apocalypse I’ve managed to escape a coming ice age; A mammoth hasn’t tossed me to my death. I’ve dodged the planet’s ozone-waning end-stage; Our green and pleasant land’s still...

‘News of the Revolution’ by Daniel Kemper

The Society
October 7, 2020
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Poetry
4 Comments
  News of the Revolution Revolt or riot? Both? Or civil war? No matter what, who hasn't realized the revolution's being televised. The camera always wants a little more: the street churns; a...

‘The Harvest of an Ancient Past’ by Daniel Kemper

The Society
October 7, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
  The harvest of an ancient past can waft to mind as we enjoy a measured taste of last year's blend. The darlings who were chased down vineyard lanes, who drew us to come after her with earthy...

‘The City-Bird’ by Michael Curtis

The Society
October 6, 2020
Humor, Poetry
4 Comments
  a parody of Tennyson's "The Eagle" Upon the bronze haired statue head Enringed in evening’s smoggy spread She beak-pecks on a littered bread. There, on the gritty concrete lies A pop of corn...

‘Sonnet Sonnet’ by Theresa Rodriguez

The Society
October 5, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
  To write of love, or speak of other things Like life or death, or such philosophy As might stir up an eager mind, which brings It to a bold, enriched reality: Oh, perfect, lovely forms! With...

‘Spindle, Shuttle, Loom’ by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
October 4, 2020
Beauty, Blank Verse, Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
…anulbaṇáṃ vayata jóguvām ápaḥ. Weave ye the singers’ work without a knot. —Rigveda 10.53.6 Those pale cream swaths of handmade linen, brought From Sicily around 1905 Lay in our rag drawer...

A Poem on Riots Across America: ‘Ethics Lesson 101,’ and Others by Bruce Dale Wise

The Society
October 3, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
6 Comments
  Ethics Lesson 101 by Caud Sewer Bile Kenosha, Portland, Oakland. Minneapolis, New York: Don’t blame their Democratic mayors; they don’t have a cork. Chicago and Seattle, Albuquerque, Denver...

Verses from the Irish Peace Park

The Society
October 2, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Found Poem, Poetry
8 Comments
In the first World War, taking and holding the high ground was everything. The battle of Messines Ridge, in Belgium, took place June 7-17 1917. It took 81 years until the Irish Peace Park was unveiled there to...

On the Chinese Communist Party’s ‘Stealth Warfare’ by Damian Robin

The Society
October 1, 2020
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Human Rights in China, Poetry
15 Comments
  Stealth Warfare in the voice of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Admire. Our virus circulates. __Our muddy money’s hand washed. Our fingers whisk jobs from your plates. __Our clenched fists...

Poems for the Mid-Autumn Festival 2020, by Daniel Magdalen

The Society
September 30, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
8 Comments
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival and corresponding to the Harvest Moon in the West, falls this year on October 1.    Lanterns in the Autumn Dark Mid-Autumn's guests head...

‘Postponement’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
September 29, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
17 Comments
  Postponement I disappoint some folks of whom I’m fond, But I, in turn, am irritated by The nebulous assurance that beyond This life, in mansions somewhere in the sky, I’ll have another chance...
poem/macgregor/education

A Poem on Toxic Masculinity: ‘Our Worthy Sons’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
September 28, 2020
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Poetry
61 Comments
Our Worthy Sons dedicated to Samuel Our worthy sons should never be ashamed Of who they are and who they’re meant to be. For far too long men’s gender has been blamed In wars that weaponize...

‘Odyssey of Theodicy’ and Other Poetry by Peter Venable

The Society
September 28, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
3 Comments
  Odyssey of Theodicy It is a strange fact, clearly biblical— In this case God’s will is most puzzling: At times, He moves mountains with miracles, But may not remove the cup of suffering. A...

‘Reflections of an Aging Moon’ and Other Poetry by Sally Cook

The Society
September 27, 2020
Beauty, Humor, Poetry
25 Comments
Reflections of an Aging Moon Great brassy stalks of varicolored horns Blow notes to keep the bees awake at noon. Immersed in gaudy zinnia’s stippled forms, They dance and flit, in homage to the...

‘The Winds of Time’ by David Paul Behrens

The Society
September 26, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
18 Comments
  The winds of time will cease to blow, The shining moon will cease to glow, As history comes to an end; Eternity waits 'round the bend. The books and minds of all mankind Will over time, be...

‘Dreams on the Horizon’ and Other Poetry by Dave Irby

The Society
September 25, 2020
Beauty, Poetry
12 Comments
  Dream on the Horizon I sail the ocean toward the setting sun to find my dreams that hide within the sky. And I will travel till my days are done, to live just one before I say goodbye. I search...

On Troublemakers: Two Translations from Phaedrus, by Terry L. Norton

The Society
September 24, 2020
Children's, Culture, Essays, Poetry, Translation
9 Comments
On Troublemakers: Two Translations* from the Latin Poet Phaedrus, Freedman of Augustus (first century A.D.) Translator’s Prologue These little tales from ancient Rome Concern those who would foment...

‘Castles in Our Heads’ and Other Poetry by Talbot Hook

The Society
September 23, 2020
Beauty, Poetry
15 Comments
  Castles in Our Heads The old Italians once long held The mind as ordered hall; And in their arm-chair coffers swelled A wealth beyond recall. Each room was filled with hint and clue To trigger...

A Poem on Trump’s Reaction to Ginsburg’s Death, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
September 22, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
43 Comments
  A Lesson Learned from Trump “We are all equal in the presence of death.” ---Publilius Syrus (100 BC) Today I learned a lesson from the one Whose acid tongue has beaten down the best; A man...

A Poem on the Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020), by Joe Tessitore

The Society
September 22, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
13 Comments
Supreme Farewell As every king and peasant must, A justice stands before the Just. We bid farewell to Sister Ruth, Who trembles now before the Truth.     Joe Tessitore is a retired New...

‘In the Midst of Life We Are in Death,’ a Poem by Cynthia Erlandson

The Society
September 22, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
  “In the Midst of Life We are in Death.” --Book of Common Prayer, The Burial of the Dead In sure and certain hope, we toss The soil in, and bless the dead. The final sentences; that pause Of...

‘At the Supper Table of a Progressive’ and Other Poetry by Alec Ream

The Society
September 21, 2020
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Humor, Poetry
2 Comments
. . At the Supper Table of a Progressive They understood riots and death and what's more, "Adore them all really," and down to the core, So dropping my napkin to grant them the same, I upset their table and...

Ekphrastic Economy: A Review of Memoirs of a Witness Tree, by Randal A. Burd, Jr.

The Society
September 20, 2020
Essays, Poetry, Reviews
6 Comments
Memoirs of a Witness Tree, by Randal A. Burd, Jr. Kelsay Books, 2020 by Andrew Benson Brown Reading Aristotle’s Poetics is in some ways a curious experience for the practitioner of poetry. In this...

‘Feeding Time’ and Other Poetry by James A. Tweedie

The Society
September 19, 2020
Covid-19, Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Humor, Poetry
23 Comments
  Feeding Time Chickens feed on chicken feed. Birds on birdseed, yes-indeed! Cattle feed on cattle feed, Twitters feed on Twitter feed. People feed on many things, Avocados, onion rings, Water...

A Poem On Nancy’s Visit to a Salon, Violating Covid Restrictions, by Sarban Bhattacharya

The Society
September 18, 2020
Covid-19, Culture, Humor, Poetry
5 Comments
  There’s no age bar on titivating hair, Apart from putting rouge on wrinkled cheek. A Speaker has the right to looking fair, And prune her brunette hair once in a week. Pandemics come and go,...
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