Culture

. 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’...

. The Twilight’s Last Gleaming? The waning moon is framed by crippled branches; One long white stripe of cloud-chalk intersects Another: an immense, prophetic X. The skyline’s red is flagging; in the...

. 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...

. I Took a Notion (A Man’s View) I took a notion once in life, To find myself a willing wife. A wife who’d cook and clean and mend And to my every need attend. I had a momentary lapse Within my mind that...

. 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,...

. 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...

. 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,...

. A Pox Upon My House a pantoum I heard the hiss of sickness as my mind cracked. I scoured and bleached and reached new hygiene heights. I locked down, muzzled up and shunned all contact--- Its moans and...

. When you see Inflation rise It’s no surprise... When you see All the goods In short supplies, Work disincentivized, It’s no surprise... When you see An open border, Law and order In demise, It’s no...

. 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...

. Alfred the Great Alfred the Great was a shy king Who found it not much to his liking __Making do with cornflakes __‘Cos he’d burned all the cakes While hiding his face from the Viking. __ Sweyn...

. read about Geronimo here Geronimo! That is my name; I’ve garnered international fame because I haven’t got TB, or have I? That’s the quandary which has become a running game. Results of skin tests say...

. What Did Paul Revere? Listen, my children, and shed a tear, Because everything that he held dear Did vanish in the blink of an eye And banished, those who dared to defy The Bill of Lies of the Reign of...

. Prerequisites for a Trendy Poetry Reading Casual clothes, streetwise but debonair: Knit sweater, denims (slightly dishabille); A tentative, apologetic air, As if you told what you would most...

. Discrimination by Who? YMCA basketball for 7-year olds It’s not the least bit personal, But kids who have no skills at all, Will often seem to find themselves Without much chance to touch the ball. Still...

. on “Pope Francis’ Plans will ‘destroy’ contemplative life: Franciscan friar” Here’s a question: What’s it to the pope how cloistered nuns hear Mass? Is there no hope, for those who love the...

. 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...

. 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...

. August 31, 2021 Humpty Dumpty looked at the wallHumpty Dumpty said “This must fall.”Mexican cartels, yes rapists and thugs,Cross now with ease and sold Humpty his drugs. Humpty Dumpty left a long...

. SAT Tips Leave nothing blank, your chances are __As good as one in four; So when the end is not too far __Fill in! to raise your score. Jot notes down on the booklet page __or circle a key word. This helps...

. 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...

. . The Cost of Infrastructure Our property association has Three rich folks down the street. Their houses are Much bigger than the rest, with more pizzazz, More rooms, more gadgets, and more space by...

. 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...

. 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...

. Sonnet of September Two thousand one eleven September, terrorists hijacked four planes in the sky. The crew, the passengers, did surrender, to those Bin Laden had sent to die. Two thousand one eleven...

. 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...

. Leave Our Kids Alone!  “Fauci: Officials Will Decide on COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendation for Children Aged 5 to 11 Soon” ---Epoch Times Headline 9/20/2021 The mask is off.   Come see the twisted...

. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhNIScHrUOM&t=4s . Biden Blues When I was just a kid,I’d shout and I’d refuse.My mama taught me, be polite,Taught me the words to use:No thank you, Joe; no thank you,...

. California Wildfires to the tune of “California Dreamin’” All her landscape bronzed, Her breezes ashen gray, What can Cali dream on, Despoiled and rechauffée? Never safe, too sultry In her disarray ....

. Cancel Madame Butterfly today! Such racist music cannot soothe the soul. Let’s never show another hate-filled play. The King and I must also cause dismay Since white composers can’t know ethnic...

. The Lyme Brain’s Refrain, or At the Cupboard What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I, what am I, what am I doing? I’m doing something—something I’m doing— But what am I, what am I, what am I...

This challenge comes from New York poet Joe Tessitore. He asks you to use the following couplet in a poem. Post your version in the comments section below: . How very much do I despise The tyranny of fear...

. "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."  ---H.L....

. 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...

. “Of all the tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.” ---C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology  It’s said that life’s a bitch and...

. Where meagre rains are tinted red From dust the Western winds have borne, The publican to stranger said: “We’re fortunate that here is shorn A class of wool unique in hue— The pre-dyed fleece of...

. Twenty years . . . So long ago as that? When fantasy became reality And falling human bodies turned to splat. Death in living color on TV. Maxwell’s silver hammer coming down On our collective metaphoric...