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Culture

‘Smith on Pollock’ by Julian D. Woodruff

The Society
January 5, 2020
Art, Beauty, Culture, Poetry
34 Comments
  It seems the art world all but missed the dart Hurled ‘cross the continent when Hassel Smith Called Jackson Pollock’s paintings “restaurant art”; Or else it put it out of mind...

‘Gilbert and Sullivan on New York Affluence’ by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
January 4, 2020
Culture, Humor, Poetry
9 Comments
  Hark now to the yuppies’ anthem, And the lifestyle that it preaches— How we all reside on the chic West Side With our Chardonnay and quiches. Chorus: We all reside on the chic West...

Five Sonnets from the Forthcoming Work Commentary, by Michael Curtis

The Society
January 3, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry
3 Comments
Cumæan  Below, beyond the tiles now cave’d down, Up from the rubbled earth arose a sound Shrieking in a pitch strung to sting the ear, Some spirit of a hag command I hear Of the low, ruined place...

‘Bees Are Spectacular’ and Other Poetry by Leo Zoutewelle

The Society
January 2, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
26 Comments
Bees Are Spectacular When people talk of “bees” it well could mean Two things: the sum of separate insects or A colony—some workers and a queen— A score of several thousand bees or more. In...

A New Year’s Day Poem: ‘Into 2020’ by Damian Robin

The Society
January 1, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
13 Comments
On the occasion of New Year's Day 2020, two poems by Damian Robin, a writer and editor living in the United Kingdom.

‘Fireworks Burst’ by Cyrus Jalinous

The Society
December 31, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
6 Comments
  ‘Tis late now in the balmy eve, without the slightest stir, When lighter than a hot balloon cuts through the humid air Such light through dusk that becks the dawn like some dry burning...

‘The Burning of a Flag’ by Bruce Dale Wise

The Society
December 30, 2019
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Poetry
17 Comments
  by Eric Awesud Ble Adolfo Martinez, a man who hails from Ames, Iowa, was sentenced sixteen jailed-years for the burning of a flag. The thirty-year-old man purloined a raindow-coloured flag that...

‘Three Hundred Spartans’ by Sancia Milton

The Society
December 30, 2019
Beauty, Culture, High School Submissions, Poetry
12 Comments
  Three Hundred Spartans In twilight’s ash three hundred stars await As blue-black thunder roars with battle drums, Three hundred voices murmuring of fate, As odds and armour stack in fearful...

‘One Last Candle’ and Other Poetry by Angel L. Villanueva

The Society
December 29, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Humor, Poetry
13 Comments
One Last Candle The angry storm approaches in the night, Its curdling howl is heard for miles around. The trees all flinch in fear of nature's smite, Then cast their sobbing leaves upon the ground. No...

The Falun Gong Practitioner: A One-Act Play

The Society
December 28, 2019
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Human Rights in China, Performing Arts, Poetry
13 Comments
. A play in one act based on the true story of Li Zhenjun. Play by Evan Mantyk. Characters Narrator / Voice of Tradition Zhenjun “George” Li Communist Policeman 1 (CP 1) Communist Policeman 2 (CP...

‘Palimpsest’ and Other Poetry by T.M. Moore

The Society
December 27, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
8 Comments
Palimpsest ...written in their hearts... Romans 2.15 We try, but cannot fully scrape away those ancient words engraved upon the soul. We would instead compose upon the scroll of our morality that which...

‘How a Bill Can Succeed on The Hill’ by Mark F. Stone

The Society
December 26, 2019
Culture, Humor, Poetry
20 Comments
  It is rare that a bill can succeed on The Hill based on only the skill of a hobbyist. If you suffer the lack of a plan of attack, what you need is the knack of a lobbyist. Since their fee must...

‘How Dare You, Santa! How Dare You!’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
December 25, 2019
Culture, Humor, Poetry
61 Comments
  Christmas has been canceled—it’s naughty Santa’s fault. His haughty carbon footprint has been a grave assault on melting polar ice caps; they’re now a muddy puddle, where sweaty elves and...

Poems for Christmas Day 2019

The Society
December 25, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Music, Poetry, Readings
7 Comments
Come to Bethlehem / Silent Night   Song and Poem by James A. Tweedie Come to Bethlehem, come and see God stripped bare of majesty. Fragile as a flower; Emptied of might and power; Come to...

‘Sonnet XXXVIII: The Adoration of the Shepherds’ by Joseph Charles MacKenzie

The Society
December 24, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Readings
9 Comments
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA_UsvwgdQ8 Our nakedness was swaddled by the night, With Eden’s worn-out dust our feet were shod, When heaven opened and a being of light Announced that earth...

‘The Feast of the Nativity’ and Other Poetry by Steve Insalaco

The Society
December 23, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Human Rights in China, Poetry
4 Comments
The Feast of the Nativity ‘Twas the night before a brilliant star They roam the desert near and far, When they happen upon the city of light The City of David in all her might. Greeted, they are, from...

‘Carol’ by Stanisław Grochowiak, Translated by Leo Yankevich

The Society
December 22, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Translation
2 Comments
Carol They come slowly—loiter, you might say, Some with olive oil splashed on their bums, Others with enormous crooked thumbs, All full of holes like sculptures on display. Broads… up to their elbows...

Review: The Secrets of Archery, by Alessio Zanelli, Greenwich Exchange, 2019

The Society
December 21, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Readings
22 Comments
by James Sale Alessio Zanelli is a fascinating poet, and probably a fascinating man as well. This is his sixth collection of poems and part of his well-publicised and unique charm is that he is an Italian...

‘Make Christmas a Verb’ by Mark F. Stone

The Society
December 20, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
14 Comments
  For many, the gifts are the be-all and end-all: the big screen, the tablet, the Barbie and Ken doll. For me, gifts I get are like ice in the sun. I cannot recall them. No, not even one. How did...

‘Looking Forward to Christmas’ by Jack Horne

The Society
December 19, 2019
Culture, Humor, Poetry
4 Comments
  Recalling Christmas in the past: the time I mixed my drink— a cocktail, “Everything we have”… I puked at lunch. I think you ate your meal, despite the stink! Another time, our puppy...

‘Sara’s Prayer’ and Other Poetry by Joe Tessitore

The Society
December 18, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
12 Comments
Sara's Prayer* Take me beyond all thought and word, where only beauty can be heard. Then silently, before Your throne, I'll dance, Dear Lord, for You alone.   Claire* She dances like a flowing...

‘Roots’ by Ramón Rodriguez

The Society
December 17, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
9 Comments
  Cradled in my country’s corn-rich plains, North of the river, good and fertile land, There is a certain wood, that, when it rains, Exhales a breath of life not meant for man. That wood has...

‘Childhood Conjugation’ and Other Poetry by David O’Neil

The Society
December 16, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry
5 Comments
Childhood Conjugation Our mother tongue’s a mile-long smorgasbord where children eat for free. With giggling ease they wolf down words that grown-ups can’t afford and guzzle grammar like soft strings...

‘The Lonely Ghost Speaks’ and Other Poetry by Martin Rizley

The Society
December 15, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
12 Comments
The Lonely Ghost Speaks Each night, upon the creaking stairs My footfalls make no sound As, sad and slow, I climb with no Connection to the ground. Each day, I walk incessantly through every room and...

Phobia Limerick Riddles, by Jan Darling

The Society
December 14, 2019
Culture, Humor, Limerick, Poetry, Riddles
45 Comments
  Each poem below describes a phobia. Guess what the person is scared of in each. For extra credit try to name the phobia’s official name. Post your answers in the comments section...

‘The Winter of Our Contentment’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
December 13, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry
23 Comments
  The Winter of Our Contentment Without the winter there would be no spring, No snowdrops, crocus, scilla, daffodils, Or any other bulbs that need deep chills To send up flowers. Almost...

Hiding Behind a Mask: Five Poems by Anna J. Arredondo

The Society
December 12, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
17 Comments
Intruders Beware If you but knew what weakness lies concealed Within this adamantine outer shell— What woes, what worries I'm too proud to tell; If you but once should tiptoe past this...

‘Manichaeus, Heresiarch’ by Carl Hildebrand

The Society
December 11, 2019
Culture, Poetry
12 Comments
  Manichaeus, the 3rd century B.C. founder of the heretical religion Manichaeism, addresses the Zoroastrian god Ahura-Mazda Tremble, Ahura-Mazda! Be thou dumb Upon thine altars ash’d of ancient...

‘An Aussie Christmas’ and Other Poetry by David Watt

The Society
December 10, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry
17 Comments
An Aussie Christmas That joyous time has come to pass When summer’s heat warms man and beast, And wheaten fields burnt burnished brass Cannot compare, not in the least, With star of gold upon the...

Ecclesiastes 2, Recast in Classical Poetry, by T.M. Moore

The Society
December 9, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Terza Rima
10 Comments
Hating Life after Ecclesiastes 2 Within my heart I said, “Come now, and I will test your soul with mirth.” For surely, so I thought, the man who would be wise must try out every pleasure, so that...

Extract from Canto 9 of James Sale’s English Cantos

The Society
December 8, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
24 Comments
  In Canto 8 the poet and Dante, accompanying him, encounter the next-door neighbour, Peter, who brutally murdered his wife for money. Escaping from there, they enter a lower hell where they are about to...

Five Sonnets on Grimm’s Fairytales, by James A. Tweedie

The Society
December 7, 2019
Culture, Humor, Poetry
14 Comments
Grimm Reckonings Summary Thoughts on Five Fairy Tales: A Sonnet Cycle   Rapunzel I wish Rapunzel could have saved the day __By climbing down her own unfurled hair, __Escaping from her prison-tower...

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ and Other Poetry by Janice Canerdy

The Society
December 6, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry
9 Comments
’Twas the Night Before Christmas ’Twas the night before Christmas and all through the malls there was widespread confusion and hot, frenzied brawls. Many shoppers were wanting the same bloomin’...

‘Rosemary, Cypress, Cedar, and Pine’ and Other Poetry by Alec Ream

The Society
December 5, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
23 Comments
. Rosemary, Cypress, Cedar, and Pine Rosemary and Cypress, and Cedar and Pine, Green waxen needles and skin of like kind, Deciduous Cypress asleep in the cold, Like Cedar, a hardwood to build a...

‘Morning in England’ and Other Poetry by Ian Williams

The Society
December 4, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
3 Comments
Morning in England Morning in England: web and dew. The county matters not in name, nor distant city hid from view, for this is Albion in her fame; Who—whether solitary lane, or verge astride the...

‘Rain’ by James Preston Pack

The Society
December 3, 2019
Beauty, Culture, High School Submissions, Poetry
9 Comments
  Rain, lapping at the windows fast, falls cold and ceaseless, painting lines of marble on the silvered glass while clouds cast dark and thunder whines; but these walls will not let it pass and...

An Advent Calendar Poem: Twenty-four Windows, by Theresa Zappe

The Society
December 1, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
2 Comments
  My Adventskalender in Germany made Of paper and glitter has Heaven displayed Through twenty-four windows. Come open with me Each miniature vision of things heavenly. Behind the first window are...

‘To The Poet Leo Yankevich’ by Sally Cook

The Society
November 29, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
5 Comments
  Perhaps the color of your world was dun, And you sank in your couch when work was done, To calculate injustice, add the sum, Saw all was brown, but rays of silver light Which sent you out to...

A Poem for Thanksgiving Day: ‘Gathered Together’ by C.B. Anderson

The Society
November 28, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
6 Comments
  From cradle to the grave, From womb to musty tomb, The sanity I crave Is in a dining room With family gathered there: Thanksgiving, on a chill November day—no tare Subtracted, if good...

‘There Is a River’ and Other Poetry by Martin Rizley

The Society
November 27, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
15 Comments
  There Is a River There is a river that I know that flows through quiet meadowland Nearby a row of cottages which by a levee quaintly stand. I saw that river long ago, when one day, to amuse...
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  1. Joseph S. Salemi on ‘To the Venezuelan Drug Runners Sleeping in the Sea’: A Poem by Joseph S. SalemiSeptember 14, 2025

    Many thanks, Susan. I appreciate your words.

  2. Brian Yapko on ‘On Charlie Kirk and His Assassins’: A Poem by Brian YapkoSeptember 14, 2025

    Thank you very much, David. I suppose that I should not have been surprised. But I would have expected a…

  3. Brian Yapko on ‘On Charlie Kirk and His Assassins’: A Poem by Brian YapkoSeptember 14, 2025

    Thank you very much, Margaret. That "No!' of disbelief is so real and vivid... and painful. We have lost someone…

  4. Brian Yapko on ‘On Charlie Kirk and His Assassins’: A Poem by Brian YapkoSeptember 14, 2025

    Absolute truth. I join in your prayer and thank you, nosa, for reading and commenting.

  5. Margaret Brinton on ‘A Ballad of Fortune’: A Poem by Margaret BrintonSeptember 14, 2025

    Thank you , Paulette. Yes, it is true, especially when combined with fortitude.

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