‘Sex in the English Garden’ and Other Poetry by Sally Cook The Society September 26, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry 14 Comments . Sex in the English Garden Light, feathery Astilbe Sways gently in the breeze Afraid she always will be Faint fluff beneath the trees Concealing dear Sweet William, Who rings each foxglove’s bell Mid...
‘Sentimental Song’ and Other Poetry by Angel L. Villanueva The Society September 26, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Love Poems, Poetry 3 Comments . Sentimental Song A pad and pen lie by his side __This moonless night of fall. And though he tries to hush his pride, To only see the tears she cried, His hands refuse to breach the wall, __A pithy line to...
‘The Recollected Dream’ by David Watt The Society September 24, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 17 Comments . The Recollected Dream When midsummer rain is spearing From storm clouds darkest grey That provide no hint of clearing To reveal the blue of day, The scent from marshland grasses Permeates each breath of...
‘What I Learned from Tolkien’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko The Society September 23, 2022 Beauty, Poetry 32 Comments . What I Learned from Tolkien The darkness comes and all seems bleak and wrong, My calm is rent, right burdens can’t be borne And Evil holds an iron grip so strong It seems it must prevail. With all hope...
‘Milking the System’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson The Society September 22, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry 18 Comments . Milking the System We waited, we have waited, and we wait. Delays continue to increase the cost Of doing business. Every magistrate Can understand the hours and dollars lost But yet cannot, according to...
‘Carcassonne’ and Other Poetry by Gustave Nadaud, Translated by Joshua C. Frank The Society September 21, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Humor, Music, Poetry, Translation 18 Comments . Carcassonne by Gustave Nadaud (1820-1893) Translated by Joshua C. Frank “At sixty years, I’m getting old, And I’ve been working all my days Not being able to behold Fulfillment of my wishing gaze. I...
‘The Night’ by Gary Borck The Society September 20, 2022 Beauty, Poetry, Readings 18 Comments . . The Night When most have fled the day and sought their beds Pre-empting stealthy onset of the night; When every corner holds its store of dread And the courage my soul held has taken flight; When my...
StairWell Canto 10 Extract 2 by James Sale The Society September 19, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Dante, Epic, Poetry 44 Comments . StairWell Canto 10 extract 2 Context: In the 10th Canto of HellWard we met 4 poets condemned to Hell. Now in the 10th Canto of StairWell, we meet another 4 poets stuck in Purgatory. This extract takes us to...
‘Wanton Wandering Winds’ and Other Petrarchan Love Sonnets by Daniel Howard The Society September 19, 2022 Beauty, Love Poems, Poetry 4 Comments . Wanton Wandering Winds Those wanton wandering winds, my darling fair, Whose western currents comb in several ways And lose themselves within the marvellous maze Of locks luxuriant that you loosely wear; So...
‘To a Cloud’ and Other Poetry by Susan Jarvis Bryant The Society September 17, 2022 Beauty, Poetry, Villanelle 41 Comments . To a Cloud You’re a pillow of marshmallow. You balloon and bob and billow As I sprawl beneath the willow __On the grass. You’re a swish of whitest feather. You’re...
‘Last Place Winner’ by Guy Warner The Society September 17, 2022 Beauty, Humor, Poetry 9 Comments . Last Place Winner after winning the 30-34 age group with a last-place finish in a 5K Inhaling frozen oxygen, he rounds The final turn. No cheers, just muffled sounds. He barely wobbles ‘cross the finish...
‘Mid-September Reverie’ by Roy E. Peterson The Society September 15, 2022 Beauty, Poetry 32 Comments . Mid-September Reverie from the book Eternal Spring Moonbeams at midnight and frost on the pole; Wind in the willows to tickle the soul; Roses in gardens still share their perfume; Peonies offer the last of...
‘The Beginning of Wisdom’ by T.M.A. Day The Society September 12, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 10 Comments . The Beginning of Wisdom Within the passing noon of our own life, I saw through woodlands dark and traces grim, Those words upon the graven arches rim, Whose clarity compounds immortal strife. They claimed...
‘The Morning’s Crest’ by Stephen Ramsek The Society September 10, 2022 Beauty, Poetry 6 Comments . The Morning’s Crest The morning’s crest is in its youth, The dawn has yet to lose a tooth, The virgin firmament is dark, The sun’s no more than a tired spark Transcended by the cold, brash moon. But...
‘Drunk on Compassion’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko The Society September 9, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Villanelle 48 Comments . Drunk on Compassion How good it feels to open up your heart And groove on how compassionate you are! You advertise your causes on your car And list your Facebook “likes” upon a chart. You march in...
A Poem on the Passing of Queen Elizabeth II: ‘For My Queen’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant The Society September 8, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 64 Comments . For My Queen Queen Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor April 21, 1926 - September 8, 2022 My symbol of nobility, stability and grace, Who reigned yet never ruled---she was my constant caring face On TV screen,...
‘Capability Brown’ by Jeff Eardley The Society September 8, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 22 Comments . Capability Brown Lancelot “Capability” Brown was England’s greatest landscape architect. His name was Capability, A man of great humility, He knew just where to plant a tree, Enhancing England’s...
‘Who Shaves the Barber?’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson The Society September 7, 2022 Beauty, Humor, Poetry 20 Comments . Who Shaves the Barber? shaves all those, and those only, who do not shave themselves. —Bertrand Russell The barber had a gift for cutting hair, And once a month the men who lived in town Would take a...
‘Cracked Liberty Bell’ and Other Poetry by Peter Venable The Society September 6, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry 2 Comments . Cracked Liberty Bell July the 4th—Independence. Many bands play. Parades pass by— Fireworks fly. __Rocket’s red glare . . . 1900. A song was sung From old to young: Lift every voice— They sang,...
StairWell Canto 10 Extract by James Sale The Society September 5, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Dante, Epic, Poetry 55 Comments . StairWell Canto 10 extract Context: In the 10th Canto of HellWard we met 4 poets condemned to Hell. Now in the 10th Canto of StairWell, we meet another 4 poets stuck in Purgatory. This extract takes us to...
‘Ozymandias Begins’ by Paul A. Freeman The Society September 4, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 19 Comments . Ozymandias Begins I met the monarch of our ancient land, who said, ‘Your skill at sculpting is renowned. The hammer and the chisel in your hand will make my semblance evermore resound.’ Upon his...
‘Summer Nocturne’ by Cheryl Corey The Society September 3, 2022 Beauty, Poetry 9 Comments . Summer Nocturne In steady, humming monotone, With synchronism the crickets drone, And hushedly through the night intone __Their evening chant, Accompanied by a brusque descant, In equal-measured, rhythmic...
‘Seminary’ by Paul Buchheit The Society September 2, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 12 Comments . Seminary Recalling days of vigor and simplicity, of boyish spirits spun from neural gossamer and hardened into granite by a panoply of actors: scamps of nimble wit, a conjurer of whimsy, lords of innocent...
‘Food for Thought’ and Other Food-Related Poetry by Anna J. Arredondo The Society September 1, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Humor, Limerick, Poetry 24 Comments . Food for Thought A Culinary Tale There once was a man wan and pallid, he Suffered from a mysterious malady: __He ate carrots and greens, __Ripe tomatoes and beans, But eschewed anything that's not...
‘The One Standing Tall’ by Satyananda Sarangi The Society August 31, 2022 Beauty, Poetry 25 Comments . The One Standing Tall for the Poet's father The home is where he lives, his heart is full Of love, no wealth can buy his rich esteem; No rock can match those nerves that hold our life Together still like one...
‘The Death of the Leviathan’ by Adam Sedia The Society August 31, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Pantoum, Poetry 8 Comments . The Death of the Leviathan The monster finally meets its doom: Sound out the death-knell, light the pyre! The depths are ready for its tomb--- Now let the wretch at last expire! Sound out the death-knell,...
‘The Shade Tree’ and Other Poetry by Adam Wasem The Society August 31, 2022 Beauty, Poetry 18 Comments . The Shade Tree While out for a walk with my toddler, late, In the city I have come to hate, But where I am compelled to stay By my and his mother’s unmarried state, He startled me with a sudden glee With...
The 22 Best Haiku of 2022 The Society August 30, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Haiku and Senryu, Poetry, Poetry Contests 30 Comments . The 22 Best Haiku of 2022 Winner and Runners-up of the Society of Classical Poets 2022 Haiku Competition Judged by Margaret Coats (see her remarks below) See all entrants here. . COMPETITION WINNER . a...
‘Requiem for Eurydice’ by Mary Virginia Vietor The Society August 29, 2022 Beauty, Culture, High School Submissions, Poetry 10 Comments . Requiem for Eurydice The sunlight dims before my eyes, __My fingertips lose yours, And as my whispered farewell flies, __The last crescendo soars. Then one breath hovers, trembles, dies— __The audience all...
‘The Grieving of Autumn’ by Peggy Everett The Society August 28, 2022 Beauty, Poetry 13 Comments . The Grieving of Autumn Be tender toward your own yearnings, When the grieving of autumn returns. When the brown leaves are piled for their burnings And the frost has corrupted the ferns. Farewells from each...
‘A Villanelle for Robert Hoogland’ and Other Poetry by Joshua C. Frank The Society August 27, 2022 Beauty, Poetry, Villanelle 32 Comments . A Villanelle for Robert Hoogland Hoogland was imprisoned for calling his daughter female Their mouths are gagged, their hands are bound; Their children taken by the state, These parents have no legal...
‘Ode to Poets of the Past’ by Joe Kidd The Society August 26, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 8 Comments . Ode to Poets of the Past I do agree with the sights__that I have seen:the warm and comfortable steps__where love has been and with the sounds of truth__that I have heard—the whisper and the song__between...
‘Daedalus’ and Other Poetry by Morrison Handley-Schachler The Society August 24, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Humor, Love Poems, Poetry 7 Comments . Daedalus Icarus, you have disobeyed, As all men do, and dearly paid. Too recklessly your heart did fly Between high seas and louring sky. The wings I gave you, it is true, But what would you have had me...
‘An Old Man’s Wallet’ and Other Poetry by LaVern Spencer McCarthy The Society August 23, 2022 Beauty, Poetry 12 Comments . An Old Man's Wallet His wallet holds the scraps of yesterday with faded photos dearest to his heart; A raffle ticket, notice of a play attended when his daughter had a part; A stub from some wild party in...
‘On Rainy Nights’ by Janice Canerdy The Society August 21, 2022 Beauty, Poetry, Rondeau 14 Comments . On Rainy Nights On rainy nights, in pensive thought, I claim the respite I have sought but seldom found on sunny days. Cool drops soothe more than brightest rays in times when life's with trouble...
‘Ruby Jubilee’ by Margaret Coats The Society August 21, 2022 Beauty, Chant Royal, Love Poems, Poetry 47 Comments . Ruby Jubilee We’ve made a grand tour of exuberance, Repeated as our hearts reverberate, Imagining abodes where we might dwell For seasons long enough to celebrate Red-letter days our travel plans...
‘Vital Signs’ by Jeffrey Essmann The Society August 20, 2022 Beauty, Humor, Poetry 5 Comments . I. My body heat is at a modicum: Say, ninety-eight point two or one or so. Foreboding naught particularly glum Except a disposition to succumb To fevers only cooler heads can know. . II. Some other hand has...
Five Poems for My Mother, by James A. Tweedie The Society August 19, 2022 Beauty, Poetry 14 Comments . Five Poems for My Mother by James A. Tweedie Poet’s Note: My mother, Marjorie Schlatter Tweedie, passed away on June 18 at the age of 101. She was still mentally alert, moving about with her walker and...
‘There Is No God?’ by Michael Charles Maibach The Society August 19, 2022 Beauty, Poetry 22 Comments . There Is No God? “There is no God,” Some men do say. This doubt, some voice, And claim this day. If God is myth Who gave us eyes? Who gave us joy? Who paints blue skies? Have they no dog, Have they no...
‘A Stranger in Your Land’ by Damian Robin, After Dimash Qudaibergen The Society August 16, 2022 Beauty, Music, Poetry 12 Comments . A Stranger in Your Land after Dimash Qudaibergen’s song “Stranger” A lonely stranger in your land__where you are strange to me,underfoot, your rock and sand__enfold your land, your sea. I haul my...