Beauty

. Glastonbury A deathless tree stood witness while The marshlands round a nearby isle Were drained and bared a hill forlorn; A lonesome tree, long in exile Since Joseph sailed from the Nile— The Glastonbury...

. How Grim Is the Grim Reaper? How grim is the Grim Reaper? Rapacious and rambunctious; Solemn stalker, soul seeker, Slayer uncompunctious. How dim his lair’s darkness? Capacious, crenellated Wailing walls...

. We Sum total of all life is death, And breath sustains us for a time. We’ll live until we’ve spent God's dime. The meter's running faster still. No matter what we want or will, We’re always in His...

. It's raining now in New York City; Yes, I know that's true. For like that dreamer, Walter Mitty, Daydreams take me, too, To fabled places far away Upon a lazy, rainy day Where I can see and do and say What...

. Face-to-Face Meeting up, Darjeeling tea, So familiar, you and me. Here’s your cup, you raise it up Do a little "cheers" to me, Joke on "hospital-it-tea," Say, “How healing is a cup, More than a mask,...

. Men Before Work for Dana Gioia It’s dark and cold. The fleet comes filtering in. They take a breath. They get out of their cars. Half-hidden in a cowl-like hood, their heads are bent like friars walking...

. Fright Night This is the night the dead walk in the streets Looking like neighbors’ children, masked In tricks they have been taught to trade for treats That pose the questions spooks are always...

. As I look out upon October leaves And brown grass weathered by the autumn sun, I see the shafts of light a bare branch cleaves And so much of creation now undone. I feel the sorrow of a world defeated And...

. By Waterloo Station I sat down and thought (on a bench not too far from the turbulent stream) of Edwardian London’s once dominant port, and of trains puffing by, empowered by steam. The air was polluted...

. Lady Macbeth’s Regret Soft hands that led her smitten lord to bedInflamed the flare and thrust of his desire.Cool hands that won his trust and soothed his dread,Now sting and burn in licks of Hades’...

. Perfect Apples The Law of Perfect Apples says it all:A malic acid tang pervades the crispAnd shocking mouth appeal that tells you fallIs under way.  If you should catch a wisp Of summer turning winter in...

. Ballade for His Lady Deceased by Charles d’Orléans (1394–1465) Alas, Death, who made you so bold? My noble princess you possess; My life and comfort you enfold, My pleasure, wealth, and...

. When the goddesses came by the light of the dawn, They were greeted with music, and what did they see, But a flute that was pressed to the lips of a Faun As he leaned up against a deciduous tree; As the...

. I’m old, my young ones. Soon I’ll have to leave. But ere we part I have just one tale more To share---a tale of valor. Never grieve A grandpa who helped win the Civil War! Back then I was a farmer,...

. Autumn You’ll notice, ‘round this time of year, That to the flowers they hold dear, The bees will cling the whole night through--- And if you loved them, wouldn’t you? So what if evening’s deadly...

. after the Epoch Times series' How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling the World History’s tide brought us forth to this day, A dark, sullen mist hanging low on display, The Communist Specter’s tail...

. https://youtu.be/eRp7_tqfxTs On Rumble here: https://rumble.com/vnvehl-a-poem-for-aging-beauties-endless-bloom-society-of-classical-poets.html?mref=iosaf&mc=6b8az Poet: Angel L. Villanueva of...

. Prince Albert in a Can What can I say? I wore a mask and did The social distance thing, got Pfizer-vaxxed And tested negative five times (I kid You not!), did online research, asked A lot of questions,...

. Nature is bountiful giving to man All that we require, however She can; Food for the table and meds for the sick; Gas for the car that can make our lives quick; The air that we breathe and the water we...

. FROM DARKEST ANTIQUITY . I. Ancient Ritual A thousand brown feet burn on sand In Pharaoh’s funeral caravan. By many a mirage they pass Of phantom palms and pools of glass. The princess moves as in a...

. . Love Thy Neighbor Make no excuseIf sheer abuseIs all you giveTo those who live Around you.  OwnThat you aloneMust bear the shameAnd take the blame For having doneTo anyoneThe slightest wrongThat all...

. Heartfelt Baptism The morning rain that washes this day clean of yesterday's despair, of last night's sleep, and promises to turn the pastures green by falling gently, penetrating deep, is waking spring in...

. A Pantoum of Wager God said to Satan: Have you seen my servant Job, a man who fears God and shuns evil. Satan replied: You’ve bought him with blessings. Take them away and he’ll spit in your eye. God...

. Regret Hangs on Where Opportunity Once Existed There are lots of sad words we lament with such ease,But there’s none any sadder and mournful than these:I regret my decisions, and wish to go backTo that Y...

. Haiku How long will it last? Butterflies are in decline. Monarch flutters past. . . Nevermore (and Somewhat Less) Beside a little country church, The ravens on the gravestones perch To do, not what you...

. The Shepherd Who Remained in the Fields I had to stay behind to watch the flocks,a sentry against lions, bears, wolves, thieves,and other dangers slouching through the rocksand hills.  No matter how much...

. The Untrue Artist “The true artist will let his wife starve, his children go barefoot, his mother drudge for his living at seventy, sooner than work at anything but his art” ---George Bernard Shaw I’ve...

. from Legends of Liberty Volume 1 . The Battle of Concord By that rude bridge men formed up double file,The company from Acton in the van.Their bayonets cast beams—reverse sundialsDissecting the empire’s...

. My Lips Have Kissed Her My lips have kissed her lips. Now I know why the timid sun arises with each day. I understand what moves the birds to fly and why the trees within the breezes sway. My lips have...

. À La Mode In Antarctica The boffins in Antarctica are well Adapted to the climate on the ice. Among the most exclusive personnel, For stylish kit they pay a tidy price. To wow the penguins and to look their...

. Autumn's Hand I reach across for autumn's hand, When leaves begin to ride the air, To walk amid the changing land. Though I have yet some days unplanned, And winter waits to bring her glare, I reach across...

. for DKE We know each guy, and each knows us, No big deal and no big fuss, Tabernacling through this life, Share the joy and bear the strife. So what, amid this toxic day, If one might jaunt into the...

. It’s Fall, Y’all!   Autumn is here and I’m swathed in a sweater, A snug fluffy scarf and warm mittens. My Ugg-cuddled feet have never felt better; These boots are as cute as soft kittens. Autumn is...

. __Of Helen, Menelaus, war, Achilles, Paris and his treachery, __Of Agamemnon, Troy, and more, I wrote the Iliad and Odyssey. __Of Saracens and Charlemagne, Of Roland and his tragic, fateful day, __Of...

. City of Holy Faith The time to weep is over. Turn away From somber matters of this sordid age And turn your pilgrim gaze to Santa Fe--- Garbed in aspen gold and desert sage. The sky’s an ever-burnished...

. I don't know why I think things will get better. I'm always holding on to flimsy hope. I've held it since I was a young go-getter before the downward slope. Is wishful thinking printed on our genes? Before...

. At Brighton Beach the seagulls fly, they soar and circle in the sky; they swoop and steal the punters’ chips amidst the backdrop’s sailing ships and underneath the sun’s sharp eye. The lockdown days...

. Raise your quill to the sky like a madman’s harpoon— Super tempered in blood and the blackest of wine Is the blade of our mania, flashing and white As a lightning bolt fresh from the night. Raise your...

. Regrets and Repercussions Inconsequential are the things we do Sometimes, or things we don’t, we don’t know why. So will we wonder far too late and sigh To think that if we knew we could undo The past...

. A Summary of Oedipus the King by Sophocles, and Notes This play, no doubt to Sophocles’ surprise, When first performed took only Second Prize. Summary King Oedipus of Thebes, both good and wise— Or...