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      Beauty, Poetry
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Beauty

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Poetry
Beauty

‘Abraham and the Binding of Isaac’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko

The Society
December 4, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
57 Comments
. Abraham and the Binding of Isaac after Genesis 22 I cannot sleep although the moon is high. I’m numb. Before me looms the sacred hill. My son snores softly. I look to the sky Submissive to God’s wish but...

‘Lee in the Furnace’: A Poem on Robert E. Lee by Monika Cooper

The Society
December 3, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
28 Comments
. Lee in the Furnace "He who thinks of Lee Must think of Washington. . ." ---Herman Melville So Oleh, Chief, my other grandfather, Mine on the distaff, on the losing side. The furnace burnishes your graven...

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

The Society
December 2, 2023
Beauty, Poetry, Terza Rima
19 Comments
. Insouciance When circumstances wear you down Consider this important fact: It’s easier to smile than frown. When autumn leaves have all turned brown, Your borders breached, your cities sacked, And...

‘Tampering with Permanence’: A Seattle Pantoum by Alison Jennings

The Society
December 2, 2023
Beauty, Pantoum, Poetry
9 Comments
. Tampering with Permanence  a Seattle pantoum __Here where I live, a cloud looks like a mountain; mountains float. Like love, illusions laugh out loud. We’re stuck in nature’s drunken boat: looks like a...

‘Voyage to Scotland’: Poems by Margaret Coats

The Society
December 1, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
22 Comments
. Voyage to Scotland Constantius II, son of Constantine and emperor from 337 to 361, hoped to glorify Constantinople by collecting relics of all twelve Apostles. He took Saint Andrew’s remains by force from...

‘There Are Not Enough Hours in the Day’: A Poem by Geoffrey Smagacz

The Society
November 30, 2023
Beauty, Humor, Poetry
17 Comments
. There Are Not Enough Hours in the Day There are not enough hours in the dayto take all of the naps I want to take.As soon as I have sprung up from the hayI think I'd rather dream than be awake—so long as...

A Poem on the Music of Schoenberg, and Other Poetry by Mary Jane Myers

The Society
November 26, 2023
Beauty, Music, Poetry
16 Comments
. Revolution Puckish Schoenberg, bored with Bach now assaults the tonic scale, pounding (his a frontal shock), on Mozart's coffin, a modernist nail. He scans the twelve established tones, then briskly rolls...

‘2 Peter 3’ and Other Poetry by Jeffrey Essmann

The Society
November 26, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
8 Comments
. 2 Peter 3 “Consider that our Lord’s patience is directed toward salvation.” ---2 Peter 3:15 For once in church (before, I think, the Sacrament) In silence deep and cast adrift in prayer, I folded in...

Three Poems on Forgiveness, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
November 25, 2023
Beauty, Poetry
38 Comments
. Wayward Their frosty hearts and polished oaken door Slammed shut the night she found her stolen voice. She sang a moonbeam song---a shocking choice In mystic keys that spurned the...

‘Spirit of Thanksgiving Past’: A Poem by Brian Yapko

The Society
November 23, 2023
Beauty, Poetry
24 Comments
. Spirit of Thanksgiving Past O, noble Spirit of Thanksgiving Past, You are a very strange yet gracious host! Of course the thought of going back brings joy--- To see my life when I was just a boy! So guide me...

‘World View’: A Poem by James A. Tweedie

The Society
November 21, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. World View Beyond the line where sea and sky collideLie distant lands beyond myopic sightWhere men and women live and love besideThe self-same sea beneath the same sun’s light. Where East meets West...

‘Reversing Babel’: A Poem by Cynthia Erlandson

The Society
November 21, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
26 Comments
. . Reversing Babel . I. Babel “Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.” ---Genesis 11:1 . An ill wind blows through Babel, where all speech Is one, so that it’s possible to plan--- Then...

On the United Nations, Israel, and Hamas, and Other Poetry by Russel Winick

The Society
November 20, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Human Rights in China, Humor, Poetry
18 Comments
. “United” Nations? The U.N. won’t condemn Hamas’s slaughter,Supporting those who want Jews underwater.Iran’s a U.N. human rights group head,Though it would like Americans all dead. Two U.N....

‘Prayerwise’ and Other Poetry by Monika Cooper

The Society
November 19, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
22 Comments
. Prayerwise for Gloria (1934-2013) Tough, keen, opinionated, shrewd:Collected junk, shared what she foundWith those who shared her roof and food,With those who shared her daily round. She prayed her daily...

‘Fungible Assets’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
November 18, 2023
Beauty, Poetry, Satire
26 Comments
. Fungible Assets A pint’s a pound the world around. Now, lay your oars athwart the gunwales And let your aching muscles get some rest. Relieving strain on carpal tunnels, Your doctor says, is always for the...

‘What Do You Do When You No Longer Drink’ and Other Poetry by Geoffrey Smagacz

The Society
November 16, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Love Poems, Poetry
19 Comments
. What Do You Do When You No Longer Drink What do you do when you no longer drink, no tossing out the empties in a bag as one by one you hear that cautious clink then wipe end tables with a beer-soaked...

Three Poems by Sally Cook

The Society
November 15, 2023
Beauty, Poetry
34 Comments
. Poetry A poem, subscribing to a plan, Flies higher than the highest planes, Seems safer than a rose-red tan, Or traffic in the fastest lanes, Where people die in random crashes. And yet how dangerous are...
poem/bryant/culture

‘It Seems Like Only Yesterday’ and Other Poetry by Russel Winick

The Society
November 14, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
. It Seems Like Only Yesterday Votes and virtue did not yield Control of our own border, And context did not supersede A breach of law and order. Most people thought the playing of Our anthem was the...

‘Sounds Like Paradise’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson

The Society
November 14, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
32 Comments
. Sounds Like Paradise Kids are in the backyard playing; __The dog is playing too. I think that sounds like Paradise--- __Doesn’t it to you? Wife is in the kitchen humming, __Making pumpkin pies. Husband...

‘Beware the Lion’ and Other Poetry by Martin Rizley

The Society
November 13, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
15 Comments
. Beware the Lion "Your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" ---1 Peter 5:8 Beware the lion! Stealthily he creeps By dark of night, or camouflaged by day In leafy...

Two Poems for the Indian Holiday Diwali, by Rohini Sunderam

The Society
November 12, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
12 Comments
. Glow Brave little candle, shining bright! You send out rays of hope all night. Within your heart you hold a flame, A yellow flame, with loving aim, A flame that banishes the dark, Dispels despair and lights...

‘The Soldier’: A Veterans Day Poem by Richard Lackman

The Society
November 11, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
11 Comments
. The Soldier He started as a little boy from any small hometown. He loved to throw and hit a ball but never gained renown. His parents taught him right from wrong and how to do his best, So he grew up a...

Real War Stories, Retold in Poetry by James A. Tweedie

The Society
November 11, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
15 Comments
. War Paths in honor of veterans I have known through the retelling of their stories. . “Any Man’s Death Diminishes Me” Preface “Be killed or killed! Be cursed or cursed!” __A lose-lose battle...

‘Returning Soldiers’: An Armistice Day Poem by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
November 10, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
13 Comments
. Returning Soldiers With hedgerows, fields and trees the soldiers of a forward trench have rested with unease, reduced beyond a carcase stench. Beneath a one-time, war-torn land they’ve lain---forgotten...

‘Carving Fingers’: A Poem by Daniel Kemper

The Society
November 10, 2023
Art, Beauty, Poetry
27 Comments
. Carving Fingers "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." ---St. Paul Percy exhales with a scowl and he spits. In his hickory fingers, an obstinate block; in his critical snicker, a grin; on his...

‘Until You Try’: A Poem by Michael Charles Maibach

The Society
November 9, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. Until You Try "You’ll never know Until you try…" Make this mindset Your battle cry! Your first few steps, A paper route. Try out for sports. Doors all about! Reach out your hand, And make a friend, And...

‘Alfie’s Answer’: A Poem by Peter Duff

The Society
November 8, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
12 Comments
. Alfie’s Answer “What’s it all about, Alfie?” ---Hal David Not selfish pleasure, as I thought, but love For isolated pleasures quickly sour. Love feeds a hunger nothing else avails The power of love...

‘Ecstasy and Me’: A Poem by Jeffrey Essmann

The Society
November 6, 2023
Beauty, Poetry
10 Comments
. Ecstasy and Me I’ve not, I fear, the spiritual thrust To quite propel myself to mystic heights; To taste the inconceivable delights That saints have savored, hallowed and nonplussed By drawing near to...

‘The Miasma Enshrouding Disneyland’ and Other Disney Poetry by Brian Yapko

The Society
November 6, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Human Rights in China, Poetry
35 Comments
. The Miasma Enshrouding Disneyland I came here as a fairytale-struck child; The tickets cost less than a week of pay And we would spend a carefree, joy-filled day. The park was clean; the rides were fun...

‘Beyond the Shadows’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
November 4, 2023
Alexandroid, Beauty, Poetry
14 Comments
. Beyond the Shadows  The light from above may be blinding And cause us to shelter our eyes, But promises God makes are binding, For laggards as well as the wise. At last we get used to the...

‘Child’s Laughter’: A Poem by Jane Schulert

The Society
November 2, 2023
Beauty, High School Submissions, Poetry
13 Comments
. Child's Laughter It bubbles forth from deep inside his soul; Joy twinkles brightly through his youthful eyes, For any pain he knows, his laugh defies: This shattered world has briefly been made whole. It...
poem/coats/beauty

‘All Saints Day’ and Other Spiritual Sonnets by Coignard, Translated by Margaret Coats

The Society
November 1, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Translation
19 Comments
. All Saints' Day by Gabrielle de Coignard (c.1550–1586), translated by Margaret Coats O Saints, you have your heritage in hand Because you battled Satan’s sanctimony! Though burned or tortured, you gave...

Extract from DoorWay Canto 3: Constellation of the Virgin, by James Sale

The Society
October 28, 2023
Beauty, Epic, Poetry
24 Comments
. Extract from DoorWay Canto 3: Constellation of the Virgin DoorWay is the Poet’s journey through Heaven. Having left the constellation of Libra in Canto 2, he now enters the Constellation of Virgo where he...

‘Autumn’ by Rilke and ‘The Art of Poetry’ by Verlaine, Translated by Bruce Phenix

The Society
October 27, 2023
Beauty, Poetry, Translation
23 Comments
. Autumn by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), translated by Bruce Phenix The falling leaves seem fallen from afar, as though in heaven distant gardens faded; they fall with gestures that deny, negate. And,...

‘The Reincarnations of Donald J. Trump’: A Poem by Evan Mantyk

The Society
October 24, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Epic, Poetry
26 Comments
. The Reincarnations of Donald J. Trump after Andrew Benson Brown’s Legends of Liberty  . I. 218 B.C. Above the mellow grass, cliff faces soar Like walls to house a huge primeval god. The pass into the...

‘The Word’: A Poem by Jeffrey Essmann

The Society
October 23, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Terza Rima
8 Comments
. The Word “Let there be light,” He said and light there was. The seething chaos split to day and night And space and time were brightly set abuzz. From atom unto Adam, highest heights To deepest depths...

‘The Truth about Fall Colors’ and Other Autumn Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
October 20, 2023
Alexandroid, Beauty, Humor, Satire
22 Comments
. The Truth about Fall Colors  I am October’s most submissive bitch, And just when I believed I’d struck it rich, The gold that hovered overhead was blown Away before I’d claimed it for my own. And now...
poem/hook/translation

‘Quiet Night Thoughts’ by Li Bai, Translated by Talbot Hook, and Other Poetry

The Society
October 20, 2023
Beauty, Poetry
11 Comments
. Quiet Night Thoughts by Li Bai (701-762), translated by Talbot Hook My bed looks over bright moonlight. I muse: could it in fact be frost? I lift my head and watch the moon; I bow my head and think of...

‘Unveiled, They Appear’: A Poem by David Hollywood

The Society
October 19, 2023
Beauty, Poetry
18 Comments
. Unveiled, They Appear Reminiscence, and longings, and echoes unseal, from the depths in the ground which has covered, concealed, recollections of those who you meant to reveal. What your senses revere, neath...
poem/yapko/culture

‘My Brother in Galilee’: A Poem by Brian Yapko

The Society
October 16, 2023
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
38 Comments
. My Brother in Galilee I had a fearsome dream---I saw my friend -- My teacher-brother---nailed onto a cross. I wept with sorrow at my brother’s feet. He said his mother henceforth would be mine. Unearthly...
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  1. Priscilla King on ‘Living Dead’: A Poem by James A. TweedieJuly 18, 2025

    It has a formal rhythm. Isn't it possible to think of *bad* classical poetry? (Not that this is what comes…

  2. Erin Zampaglione on The Society of Classical Poets 2025 Haiku CompetitionJuly 18, 2025

    avocado tree wide and low, heavy with fruit invites small climbers red rose petals fall do I mourn lost youth…

  3. Joseph S. Salemi on ‘Living Dead’: A Poem by James A. TweedieJuly 18, 2025

    There were exactly 60 respondents in that survey, of which about one third (20) were non-members of the SCP. And…

  4. Roy Eugene Peterson on ‘Living Dead’: A Poem by James A. TweedieJuly 18, 2025

    A consensus seems to exist in the literature I have recently read that autobiographical/biographical verse follows a formula and rely…

  5. Raewyn Hutchinson on The Society of Classical Poets 2025 Haiku CompetitionJuly 18, 2025

    Birds dart like arrows Shot from tree to tree to tree Bullets of bird fire Stop Mum wait keep right…

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