Beauty

  Caiaphas To the Bishop of Lafayette in Indiana in defense of Father Rothrock High Priest of Israel’s nameless God __You were, and though came to possess That charge upon the gentiles’...

  Summer in Texas She sashays in on scorching licks of flame that singe the sticky fringes of the day. Her blaze, no brazen breeze can ease or tame; she sizzles as she splashes rays our way. Her...

The American Revolution: An Epic Poem Chapter I by Andrew Benson Brown   Chapter II: Thomas Jefferson in Hell On July Fourth of Eighteen Twenty-Six, Old Thomas Jefferson was sent to Hell In his...

  All Gone Listening to William Billings' "Chester" I cannot help but weep to sing these words, and by them, lodge my soul with those who sang them many years ago. From their hearts rang both faith...

The winning haiku can be found here Write a haiku on any topic and post it in the comments section below. The haiku must adhere to the traditional parameters of a haiku to qualify (and may be deleted if...

  “Come one, come all, it´s time to ride The carousel of fools! It’s free, it’s fun, just step inside, Get on---there are no rules!” So spoke the barker at the tent To crowds that...

  Summer Concerts The katydids and stridulant cicadas Regale us with their aestival sonatas. At night, surrounded by the song of crickets, We listen just as though we'd paid for tickets. first...

  Back to Normal An Appeal to Pastors I hear it in my conversations and in webinars and on the web: "How long before we’re back to normal? We can’t stand much more of this. It seems so very...

  Honest to God? after Ecclesiastes 5 Watch carefully your step when you draw near to God. Fools play at worship, coming to Him to be seen and heard, more than to hear. They tip their hats to God,...

  Secret Sorrows in memory of Mr. Sushant Singh Rajput, an Indian actor and youth icon who passed away on 14th of June, 2020 Some secret sorrows come and throng ____the streets of mirth; They dance...

  The seasons came and passed again Since last I heard your voice; Many are the ways I'd change If death but gave a choice. I'd pick you flowers in the spring To show you that I care And when...

  Averted, staring past my busy day, I watched my feeding station for the birds, Was startled by a darkness come my way, Presenting me a greeting without words. It landed ten feet from my window...

  In triumph the Archangel stands atop __The medieval fortress church and isle __That bear his name—the legendary spot __Where Satan fell to Michael’s strength and guile. “Impossible,” was...

  Samson’s Revenge a translation of Judges 15:16 With but an ass’s jawbone Asses I have made of them, The myriads, the masses. I have slaughtered heaps of men: Killed them, I alone, And with a...

  Olympus Olympus, thou majestic crag, whose bright And jagged spire, aloft the dazzling air Only the winds and snows and eagles dare To brush with crystal tip or feather light Arise from thy dull...

Poet's Note: The Apology of Socrates is Plato’s account of Socrates’ defense of himself in a court of law. The present work is a poetic interpretation of Plato’s account. I would like to thank my friend...

  The Boncompagni Dragon The Boncompagni Dragon, by Bartolomeo Passerotti (1529-92). Pen with brown ink, over black chalk. Tobey Collection of Renaissance Drawings, Metropolitan Museum of Art A...

  Juneteenth---the Day After by Joe Tessitore Witness the collapse And see the dust clouds rise. Hear the sound of taps And feel the shroud of lies. Hear the harpies laugh And as the willow...

Twisted Reckoning If pain can produce beauty, and if beauty causes pain, then how can I be reconciled to more loss than I gain? If love is also longing, and if love is loss refined, how can I move...

  Johann Sebastian Bach Truly loved music, yet Managed to wed twice And father a gang. The kids took their tonics, Eschewed bad harmonics, Bach said Bohemian Life could go hang! Frederick...

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZUryvFffTQ   Some Sunny Day A tribute to Dame Vera Lynn who died today, June 18, 2020 (aged 103). She was the British Forces' Sweetheart who sang to the...

Translator's Note: John Gower (c.1330–1408) wrote his Traitié de Matrimoine in French (with Latin notes throughout) to reach the widest possible audience. Seventeen ballades supply instructive examples from...

  A Reminder to Our Young People To say life has no hardship's to deceive, But trials and tribulations help us grow. Commensurate with giving we receive, Reward reflects the effort that we...

  “Laudamus te” from J.S. Bach’s B-minor Mass This aria so beautifully sung, Its obbligato part ethereal; Such coloratura from one so young, So evanescent, immaterial. Her limpid voice would...

  On Antifa, Coming to the Country A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. ---Amendment II by...

  Consider black’s effect; when it’s combined With other colors just a little trace Creates a shade but more will hide, erase The hue till just the dark is left behind. Is white black’s...

The Society of Classical Poets, a New York-based 501(c)(3) non-profit with Members across the nation and around the world, wishes a happy birthday to the President of the United States of America, Donald J....

  Destined for the Mount Rushmore of Radio Triumphal times are on the way, America’s Anchor Man. We Dittoheads will toast the day when all is Right again. You cover what they won’t...

  My father wore his sorrow like a hundred millstone weight. I seldom saw him angry and I never saw him hate. And though he dressed for mourning, I only saw him cry Once in anguish, once for love,...

  The Gods of the Copybook Headings by Rudyard Kipling AS I PASS through my incarnations in every age and race, I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place. Peering through...

I recently discarded some unnecessary texts, and among them were two past editions (the 17th and the 20th) of Len Fulton’s Directory of Poetry Publishers. This venerable publication, from Dustbooks in...

  Astride the Golden Horn, where Occident __And Orient collide, the silhouettes __of minarets co-mingle with the scent __of spice and sound of drums and castanets. The medieval mosques of...

  The captain stood amidst his crew, and wiped the bar for someone new. To make them laugh he'd tell a joke and light himself another smoke to cover up the smell of gin, And lasting feelings of...

  The Dizi Gui (弟子规) is an ancient Chinese text for children that was written in the Qing Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Kangxi (康熙帝) (1661-1722) by Li Yuxiu. Below are excerpts from the...

  The room fills with a charming melody— A choir of violins in soaring flight With basses, cellos pulsing—one, two, three— Drum-snaps, flute-trills, horn-calls, rich and bright— A dance of...

Poet's note: This poem is built upon an episode from Xenophon’s Anabasis, in which the Ten Thousand, Greek mercenaries in the employ of Cyrus the Younger, the ambitious brother of the king of Persia, are...

  When reading Irish hagiography, a few instructions should be borne in mind: First, don’t mistake this for the history you’ve read before, or might expect to find in some thick tome....

  When You Love When you love The heart of one, Life makes sense With each new sun. You start each day With thoughts of her. You do your best “We” must endure. To be the man She sees in...

  Domain of Pain A piercing migraine or a throbbing toothache, A splinter underneath a fingernail, An upset stomach caused by too much fruitcake, And waiting for responses in the mail Are typical...

  The Stranger Above the dark hill in the still Spanish night, The moon, a lone fountain of watery light, Demurely ascends, as she hides her fair face Behind misty veils of gossamer lace. Below,...