A Poem on the Late Ukrainian Writer Victoria Amelina, by Bruce Dale Wise The Society July 22, 2023 Culture, Poetry 11 Comments . King Dom’s Dream Kingdom “In death’s dream kingdom…” —T. S. Eliot, “The Hollow Me" Ukrainian Victoria Amelina has died from injuries along with others; it was dinnertime. It happened in the...
‘Poorer by the Day’: A Poem by Shaun C. Duncan The Society July 22, 2023 Culture, Poetry, Satire, Villanelle 14 Comments . Poorer by the Day a villanelle They pay in promises they will betray; A scam as cold and ancient as the sea. While those who work grow poorer by the day, Their masters mint fool’s gold to give away To...
Three Love Poems by Evan Mantyk The Society July 21, 2023 Culture, Love Poems, Poetry, Satire 18 Comments . Sonnet I Our arms are leaves stretched out; our thoughts can bloom The grandest only when we crowd out those Who have been planted in a place of doom— Perhaps for something only Heaven knows. While...
‘Via Appia’ and Other Poems by Luca D’Anselmi The Society July 20, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Love Poems, Poetry, Satire 10 Comments . Via Appia Beneath the pines of Rome, the wrinkled sibyl will croak your future for eleven cents, and with her finger in the dust will scribble predictions of uncertain consequence. But go near, fix your eyes...
‘Good Friday, Revisiting Glamis’: A Poem by James Sale The Society July 18, 2023 Culture, Poetry, Shakespeare 17 Comments . Good Friday, Revisiting Glamis "Not in the legions Of horrid Hell can come a devil more damn'd In evils, to top Macbeth" ---Shakespeare The Dunblane massacre took place at Dunblane Primary School in...
‘It’s Dangerously Close to Too Late’: A Poem by Mark Stellinga The Society July 17, 2023 Culture, Poetry 11 Comments . It's Dangerously Close to Too Late Virtually stormed by countless disciples, __trolled by their merchants of Hate, We, who obligingly counter their tactics, __impassioned to join the debate, Must, with our...
‘Balderdash?’ A Poem on the Supernatural, by Peter Venable The Society July 16, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 10 Comments . Balderdash? What are these hidden, unseen things? Do angels, demons, float on wings? Such ghostly shapes the full moon brings! __Our modern minds dismiss. Who twists and turns a shooter’s mind? Who ties...
‘A Birthday Prayer’: A Birthday Poem by Jonathan Shoulta The Society July 16, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 4 Comments . A Birthday Prayer Dear God, a new year has begun, My thirty-fourth of blessèd life. You’ve given children, lovely wife, And lately, happy, newborn son. We have, by your munificence, Enough intelligence...
Excerpt from ‘Panchavati’ by Maithili Sharan Gupt, Translated by Paddy Raghunathan The Society July 15, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Translation 10 Comments . Panchavati, An Introduction by Maithili Sharan Gupt (1886-1964) translated by Paddy Raghunathan The full moon’s mesmerizing rays Appear to skim the lake and sand, As moonlight, fresh, diffuses...
A Poem on Japanese Suiseki Stones, by Margaret Coats The Society July 13, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Shape Poems 40 Comments . Suiseki Rainfall has stopped; it’s the best time for hunting a stone. Drizzle still dampens debris; Trees put forth roots unobtrusively; mosses have grown; Animals leaving their burrows run free— Sodden...
A Poem on Insomnia and Other Poetry by Lisa Majaj The Society July 13, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Triolet 17 Comments . Insomnia Kyrielle The stars above have gone to bed, their quilt of clouds a calming sweep as moonlight strokes their tossing heads: O lord have mercy, let me sleep! Here in this dark I lie awake. The cliff...
Two Poems on the Passing of Queen Elizabeth II, by Paul Martin Freeman The Society July 12, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 20 Comments . The Nation’s Heart The Nation’s heart has passed away, A loving grandmother to all. And now it’s for her son we pray Whom Charles the Third we’ll learn to call. But will he fill that vital...
‘Peace For Our Time’: A Poem in the Voice of Neville Chamberlain and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko The Society July 11, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Satire 39 Comments . Peace For Our Time "I believe it is peace for our time... Go home and get a nice quiet sleep." ---Neville Chamberlain “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it will eat him last.” ---Winston...
‘The Misologist’: A Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant The Society July 9, 2023 Culture, Poetry 65 Comments . The Misologist “There is no greater evil one can suffer than to hate reasonable discourse.” ---Socrates He reads the notion on the page. __It isn’t to his taste. It blazes fire that stokes his...
‘Putin’: A Poem on the Russian Leader, by Michael Vanyukov The Society July 6, 2023 Culture, Poetry, Satire 33 Comments . Putin That’s, I’m sure, a vampire: Gnaws on bones, bloody-lipped. —A. S. Pushkin. “Vurdalak,” Songs of Western Slavs (Это, верно, кости гложет Красногубый...
‘Independence Day?’: A Fourth of July Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant The Society July 4, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Rondeau 43 Comments . Independence Day? a rondeau Some dared. Some died. With pluck and pride And guts and grit the brave defied Despotic rule. They stripped the foe Of dominance below a glow Of stars...
A Fourth of July Limerick by Paul A. Freeman The Society July 4, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Limerick, Poetry 8 Comments . Fourth of July Limerick Top left, there’s an oblong that’s blue; add in fifty stars, white in hue. To offset the stars are parallel bars, six white, seven red, straight and true. . . Paul A....
‘America Is Not the Same’: A Poem by Richard Lackman The Society July 3, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 11 Comments . America Is Not the Same America is not the same. __I do not recognize it. We all know who should bear the blame, __But still we analyze it. The teachers’ unions and the press _ All share part of the...
‘First Steps in a New World’: A Poem for a Grandfather, by Rafael Moras, Sr. The Society July 2, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 20 Comments . First Steps in a New World for Toribio Moras, age 14, Vera Cruz, Mexico, 1908 The young Castilian boy set sail, alone, and sought to build a life across the sea. Adrift, so far away, you had no throne, and...
‘La Campana’ and Other Poetry by Monika Cooper The Society June 30, 2023 Beauty, Blank Verse, Culture, Poetry 17 Comments . La Campana Ring, grandfather! And ring for liberty. The bell spoke once and, speaking, croaked and cracked. Our gazes bathed its iron in gold hazes As Hebrews treasured tablets their sin split. Its silent...
A Poem on Saint Margaret’s Gospels: ‘Miracle of the Book’ by Margaret Coats The Society June 29, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 31 Comments . Miracle of the Book Distance was short, but porters would be needed, And sacks were packed with small necessities. I wrapped the Gospel book and then proceeded Along the rowan-bordered road with ease. Only...
‘Incensed’ and Other Poetry by Mary Harwell Sayler The Society June 29, 2023 Culture, Haiku and Senryu, Poetry 12 Comments . Incensed For days, drawn draperies of fire, pinned close by dry pines, needled us with smells of smoke so thick it stung our eyes and burned our nose and made us run to see if flames arose from lightning...
‘Le Bal Des Ardents’: A Poem on the Ball of the Burning Men by Shaun C. Duncan The Society June 28, 2023 Blank Verse, Culture, Poetry 20 Comments . Le Bal Des Ardents for Joe Salemi On 28th January 1393 in Paris, Queen Isabeau of Bavaria, wife of the mad King Charles VI of France, held a ball which became the scene of a terrible tragedy when four...
Two Versions of Psalm 23 in Poetry, by Warren Bonham The Society June 27, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Satire 13 Comments . Psalm 23: King David’s Version When I was just a hungry sheep __and I was lonely, lost and scared, You somehow found me, fed me, led me, __showed me just how much You cared. When in the valley with its...
‘Pillar of Salt’: A Poem on Lot’s Wife by Brian Yapko The Society June 27, 2023 Culture, Poetry 23 Comments . Pillar of Salt “By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah... Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire...
‘South Vietnam Warfare’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson The Society June 26, 2023 Culture, Poetry 21 Comments . South Vietnam Warfare . Northern Jungle The rat-tat-tat of machine gun Split through the mist of morning sun. The sympathetic Montagnard Were blown apart from near to far. The boom of friendly howitzer Made...
‘Darkface at Dusk’: A Poem on Death by Martin Rizley The Society June 25, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 11 Comments . Darkface at Dusk "Death is swallowed up in victory" ---1 Cor. 15:4 At twilight, as I walked in solitude Along a country lane, unpaved and worn, Past gloomy fields, of springtime’s verdure shorn, My...
A Poem on San Francisco: ‘Even the 49ers Don’t Play There Anymore’ by James A. Tweedie The Society June 24, 2023 Culture, Poetry 13 Comments . Even the 49ers Don’t Play There Anymore Is San Francisco slip-sliding away? Old Navy, Nordstrom, Saks, the Gap, have all Closed stores—with Hilton in default—as they Abandon a once-thriving downtown...
‘Job’s Rant’ and Other Poetry by Cynthia Erlandson The Society June 24, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 16 Comments . Job’s Rant Job 3: 3-10 . May darkness and death’s shadow claim the day When I was sent to bear the curse of earth. May clouds blot out the night that gave me birth And drown it in the densest...
‘In Extremis’ and Other Poetry by Adam Wasem The Society June 24, 2023 Culture, Poetry 21 Comments . In Extremis ---from the Western wilds Here at the most attenuated ends Of America’s arterial transport map, Where pavement stops, dissolves to native dust, I find I’m mostly mindful of defense: Where...
‘This Is the Choice’: A Poem by Michael Charles Maibach The Society June 23, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 5 Comments . This Is the Choice The gates of hell Closed from within. No one sends us--- We lock ourselves in. . The gates of Heaven Are open and true, Welcoming souls who Choose to walk through. . This is the...
‘The Deluge’: A Poem by William Harrison The Society June 23, 2023 Culture, Poetry 9 Comments . The Deluge From Heaven came the rain; On Earth the waters swelled To wash away each stain The eyes of God beheld. Each structure man had made Of metal, wood, and stone Cut down by Water's blade, Save for...
‘Pharaoh’s Dream Redux’: A Poem by Paul Erlandson The Society June 21, 2023 Culture, Poetry 24 Comments . Pharaoh’s Dream Redux “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and...
‘The Gallows’: A Poem by Christopher Lindsay The Society June 20, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 18 Comments . The Gallows The trial was quick, the verdict read: “Guilty as charged,” the foreman said. The judge declared the man would hang, the leader of a robber gang who stabbed the sheriff with a knife, and made...
‘The Straight-Fishing, Straight-Talking Jiang Ziya’ by Damian Robin The Society June 20, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 14 Comments . The Straight-Fishing, Straight-Talking Jiang Ziya Far off in time and place but still on this small globe, By a river with his beard and stick and robe, A sage thought on a kingdom’s end that war might...
‘Distant Thoughts from Nearby’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson The Society June 19, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Satire 30 Comments . Distant Thoughts from Nearby I need to turn my dog-ears up __and harken to the quietude ____ignored for many years, __and contemplate my solitude, ____expressing through my tears Incautious songs that made...
‘The Test’ and Other Poetry by Alan Steinle The Society June 17, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Rondeau 5 Comments . The Test The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' —Jesus (Matthew 22:39, NASB1995) Is every trial just a self-created test? Perhaps we do not grow until we have been...
‘The Number 207: The Road to Nowhere’: A Poem by Paul Martin Freeman The Society June 17, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 18 Comments . The Number 207: The Road to Nowhere Oh once along the Road to Nowhere That used to be the Uxbridge Road You’d board and pay the tuppenny bus fare And go where milk and honey flowed. For this was then a...
‘Fracture Mechanics’: A Poem by Stephen M. Dickey The Society June 16, 2023 Culture, Poetry 10 Comments . Fracture Mechanics Dams, bridges, tunnels, buildings and the like Are often structurally sound for years If not centuries, whereupon men’s fears Creep up on them abruptly in a spike In degradation...
‘The Moselle’: A Poem on the European River, by Margaret Coats The Society June 14, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 28 Comments . The Moselle Tranquil meandering alluvion, From Vosges pink sandstone hills it percolates In rillets past rich vines in echelon To cradle villages of varied traits. Saint Castor limns a linear regime, Both...