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Poetry
Culture

‘Loose Me!’: A Villanelle by T.M. Moore

The Society
November 3, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
8 Comments
. Loose Me! “Loose him, and let him go.” ---John 11.44 O loose me, Jesus! Jesus, set me free from all that binds my soul and blinds my way. Unwrap the shrouds of death that cling to me! Let every shade of...

‘Fall Back: Central Standard Time’: A Daylight Savings Poem by Cynthia Erlandson

The Society
November 2, 2024
Culture, Poetry
19 Comments
. Fall Back: Central Standard Time Already it is dark: the falling arc Of each advancing year, when the eager moon, To catch the setting sun, comes up too soon. Full light no longer lingers at high noon, Or...

‘Lady Gwyn’: A Halloween Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
October 31, 2024
Culture, Poetry
11 Comments
. Lady Gwyn  I hear the scratching of a claw--- A disembodied monkey’s paw Scraping at decaying bones. I feel a gust of ghostly moans Wuther through my withered heart. It’s time to stir. It’s time to...
poem/rosenbaum/culture

‘Healthy Relics’: Three Sonnets by Margaret Coats

The Society
October 30, 2024
Culture, Poetry
34 Comments
. Elisha's Bones II Kings 4:32–37, 13:20–21 Elisha died, the prophet doubly strong In spirit, and his sepulcher was grand, For he had caused a lifeless child to stand And speak, then heard the mother’s...

‘Lucifer’s Lament’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant: Reading and Video by Andrew Benson Brown

The Society
October 29, 2024
Classical Poets Live, Culture, Poetry, Readings
14 Comments
. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5zId3BCl6M . . Andrew Benson Brown has had poems and reviews published in a few journals. His epic-in-progress, Legends of Liberty, will chronicle the major events of...

‘Where Babylonic Rivers Flowed’: A Poem by Jeff Kemper

The Society
October 28, 2024
Culture, Poetry
9 Comments
. Where Babylonic Rivers Flowed after Psalm 137, a lament at the destruction of Jerusalem Where Babylonic rivers flowed We settled down to weep and mourn And mused on Zion, our abode, Our city sullied and...

‘Prayer as an Antidote for Unbelief’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
October 27, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
18 Comments
. Prayer as an Antidote for Unbelief Just imagine if, while you’re entreating the sky, You were met with the wink of a generous Eye. __A very grave disaster it would be __If all there was to your approach...

‘The Venetian Doge on the Sack of Constantinople’: A Poem by Brian Yapko

The Society
October 27, 2024
Culture, Poetry
22 Comments
. The Venetian Doge on the Sack of Constantinople Setting: Constantinople in the Summer of 1204 AD. Doge Enrico Dandolo of Venice prepares for bed after an exhausting day visiting Byzantium’s famous bronze...

‘The Java Joe Machine’ and Other Poetry by Gigi Ryan

The Society
October 25, 2024
Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. The Java Joe Machine My jiffy Java Joe machineAllows me to make only oneCup of coffee when I please,Convenient when I’m on the run. But in the seconds as it brewsI recall my coffee potDripping cheerfully...

‘Senior Village’: A Poem by Cynthia Erlandson

The Society
October 25, 2024
Culture, Poetry
29 Comments
. Senior Village The ambulances come and go. Last night it was the man across The hall, whom I’d begun to know. Another friend, another loss. __I never know, From day to day, who I will see Driven away....

‘Homage to Morton of Merrymount’: A Poem by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
October 23, 2024
Culture, Poetry
23 Comments
. Homage to Morton of Merrymount To you I pay this homage and devotion: Thomas Morton, Host of Merrymount— You, whose learnèd writing put in motion The court suit that brought Plymouth to account. Yes,...

‘S O S’: A Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
October 21, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
49 Comments
. S O S Keep the fleecy wolves from bleating. Hold the pack of jackals back. Seize the greedy grubbers eating Scraps from bowls of those who lack. Bar the charlatans from cheating. Quell the yak of quack and...

‘The Mask’ and Other Poetry by Peter Venable

The Society
October 21, 2024
Culture, Poetry
3 Comments
. The Mask Sin wears a Cherub’s mask And beams forth paradise. “Come in, recline, and bask.” Discerning eyes looks twice: The gate shuts like a vice. . . The Strange Case Of Homo Sapiens At my right...

‘Look Up’: A Poem Inspired by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, by T.M. Moore

The Society
October 20, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. Look Up Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn on a world split apart The prophet scorned the academic dress of those who had invited him to their Parnassus of the Ivy League. Why wear their garb, when he intended not to...

‘The Night My Father Punched the Cow’: A Poem by Sally Cook

The Society
October 19, 2024
Culture, Poetry
9 Comments
. The Night My Father Punched the Cow The night my father punched the cowWas dark and windy, late; and nowHis job was dangling on a row,And he was sick of it, somehow__That night. He broke his hand, and held...

‘Apologies at Antoninus Pius’s Table, 155 A.D.’: A Poem by Christopher Fried

The Society
October 17, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
5 Comments
. Apologies at Antoninus Pius’s Table, 155 A.D. . I. Rome’s Glory “Arriving at this feast, how proud I stand that Rome endures to succor those who dwell here in this citadel and those whose hands till...

‘Sudan, 2005—On the Death of Dr. John Garang’: A Poem by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
October 15, 2024
Culture, Poetry
9 Comments
. Sudan, 2005 ---on the death of Dr. John Garang, Liberation Fighter and Sudanese Vice President Garang is dead! An accident, they say--- his helicopter downed by slanting rain. This man who kept the...

‘Westward, with Columbus’: A Poem for Columbus Day by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
October 14, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
19 Comments
. Westward, with Columbus The North Atlantic Ocean was awashwith monsters and leviathans, or sowe fearfully supposed, and thought it toshby sailing west, to India we could go. Then Christopher Columbus raised...

‘Their Principal Principle’ and Other Poems by C.B. Anderson

The Society
October 13, 2024
Culture, Humor, Poetry
15 Comments
. Their Principal Principle With their hideous lies and a gleam in their eyes They disable each new generation, For the best route to power in districts gone sour Is attacking the heart of the...

‘A Roman Noble on Constantine the Great’: A Poem by Brian Yapko

The Society
October 13, 2024
Culture, Poetry
26 Comments
. A Roman Noble on Constantine the Great Setting: A villa on the outskirts of Rome, ab urbe condita 1082 (329 A.D.) Cornelia, no. The household gods should stay. Wait till the clothes and furnishings are...

‘Peter Pan’s Soliloquy’: A Poem by Joshua C. Frank

The Society
October 12, 2024
Culture, Poetry
16 Comments
. Peter Pan’s Soliloquy In Never Land, each sunrise brings anew A day of play and laughter to pursue. I meet the mermaids, swim in their lagoon, And dance with Indians beneath the moon. I once fed Captain...

‘Odd One Out’: A Poem by Shamik Banerjee

The Society
October 11, 2024
Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. Odd One Out Moored to the screen, he barely gets involved In vapid, paltry things his workmates seem To swap their saneness for—magnetic schemes On end-of-season sales—their worlds revolve Around the...

‘Ghosts of the Watchtower’: A Poem by Kyle Fiske

The Society
October 10, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Rubaiyat
10 Comments
. Ghosts of the Watchtower The end-of-summer breeze gives hint with cool caress Of coming autumn gales and forecasts of distress. But who beneath the sun, when halcyon days abound Imagines they will face the...

Three Curtal Sonnets by Shaun C. Duncan

The Society
October 8, 2024
Culture, Poetry
12 Comments
. The Prestige of the Puppet-Master To be deceived must bring some satisfaction, For all are well aware of the illusion Yet most will play the dupe quite willingly; Indeed, they’ll pay good coin for cheap...

‘Time For Some Gardening’: A Poem by Bruce Dale Wise

The Society
October 8, 2024
Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. Time For Some Gardening It was time for some gardening. He heard a train go by. Its distant airhorn sighed. There were no clouds up in the sky. He trimmed the grass beside the craggy boulders at the edge. He...

‘Consequences of Following Advice’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson

The Society
October 7, 2024
Culture, Humor, Poetry
17 Comments
. Consequences of Following Advice Advice can come in snappy lines __That have a fun refrain: “Let a smile be your umbrella,” __Though that won’t block cold rain. They tell us that “To err is...

‘Not the Same Thing Anymore’ and Other Poems by Russel Winick

The Society
October 6, 2024
Culture, Humor, Poetry
17 Comments
. Not the Same Thing Anymore Of most who go to school these days __It sadly must be stated, No longer can they be appraised __As being educated. . . Kids’ Most Common Mistake The most common...

‘Three Things Alexander Knew’: A Poem by James Sale

The Society
October 5, 2024
Culture, Poetry
26 Comments
. Three Things Alexander Knew “What can you tell me that deserves such excitement, except perhaps that Homer has come back to life?” ---Alexander the Great He conquered the world And it was too small....

‘Political’: A Poem by Warren Bonham

The Society
October 4, 2024
Culture, Poetry
13 Comments
. Political The culture tells us every day that we can’t be political, so Christians nod and meekly pray, but if we’re analytical, when governments stray into what is truly theological, then we should tell...

‘On the Death of Mike Lynch, August 19, 2024’: A Poem by Jeff Eardley

The Society
October 3, 2024
Culture, Poetry
13 Comments
. On the Death of Mike Lynch, August 19, 2024 They say his blood was Irish, with his toothy Gaelic smile. A master of the cyberworld, with features to beguile. A genius of mathematics, powerful and strong. He...

A Rosh Hashanah Poem on the Blowing of the Shofar, by Margaret Coats

The Society
October 2, 2024
Culture, Music, Poetry
24 Comments
. The Ram's Horn "A great horn shall be blown, and they that were lost shall come from the land of Assyria, and they that were outcasts from the land of Egypt, and they shall adore the Lord at the holy mount...

‘To Speak Unique’: A Poem by Caroline Chen

The Society
October 1, 2024
Culture, High School Submissions, Poetry
4 Comments
. To Speak Unique From youth we have been urged to stay unique. For boxed-in meetings, we must always be The ones outside the box, must always speak On obscure points. The price of novelty? Discussing common...
poem/tweedie/culture

‘What Mother Goose Neglected to Mention’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
September 29, 2024
Children's, Culture, Humor, Poetry
20 Comments
. What Mother Goose Neglected to Mention . A Soup Spoon Reflects upon His Past So the dish ran away with the spoon, we were told, __And he treated her well, bless his soul, But he realized, when he was...

‘Public Benches’: A Poem by Joshua C. Frank

The Society
September 28, 2024
Culture, Poetry
12 Comments
. Public Benches Lusty men and randy wenches Making out on public benches Used to be a common sight In afternoon or moonlit night, And single people envied, looking Longingly at two mouths hooking, Fully...

‘Downtown’ and Other Poetry by Adam Sedia

The Society
September 28, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
16 Comments
. Downtown Like an iron maze, Clustered close, towers rise, Caging the very sky. Casting their cold gaze Through myriad glazed eyes Apathetically. Beneath, the streets swell With jostling crowds of...

‘Aphrodisiac’: A Poem by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
September 27, 2024
Blank Verse, Culture, Poetry
26 Comments
. Aphrodisiac I. It was past midnight when we met and spoke One rainswept winter Friday. The wet street Stood empty save for us (that clinched the deal). God knows she was no beauty: unkempt, thin, A...

‘Let Them Go’: A Poem by Elise Power

The Society
September 25, 2024
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
12 Comments
. Let Them Go Children born around the world __some fifty years ago were free to roam and run and hide, __to ramble high and low. The bigger people stayed inside __and never really knew how far the little...

‘The Chief Baker Responds to Joseph’: A Poem by David Culwell

The Society
September 24, 2024
Culture, Poetry, Satire
4 Comments
. The Chief Baker Responds to Joseph "And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and...

‘I Love My Paranoia’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson

The Society
September 23, 2024
Culture, Poetry
26 Comments
. I Love My Paranoia I love my paranoia That no one else can see. It’s like a loving shadow Surely protecting me. Some say it's a sixth sense, Or liability. Some claim I should release it Because it’d set...
poem/stellinga/transgender

‘Something in the Water’ and Other Poetry by Russel Winick

The Society
September 21, 2024
Culture, Poetry, Satire
14 Comments
. Something in the Water The swimmer had removed her clothes, __Then turned and gave a wail, For in the dressing room there was __A biologic male. Man’s voice, broad shoulders, 6 foot 4, __With men he could...
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  1. Roy Eugene Peterson on ‘The Legend of Zhong Kui’: A Poem by M.D. SkeenJune 5, 2025

    Fascinating tale rooted in the requirement of those times to memorize reams of writing to be accepted into the ancient…

  2. Frank Rable on ‘Roads of Potter County’: A Poem by Frank RableJune 5, 2025

    Yes, Margaret, you're right about that, I think. A nice smooth lawn instead of the Penndot version of smooth asphalt.

  3. Margaret Coats on ‘Roads of Potter County’: A Poem by Frank RableJune 5, 2025

    Frank, my dad's family is from the Pottsville area (Schuylkill County) where roads seem the same--until summer arrives and the…

  4. Margaret Coats on ‘Frivolity from Quality’ and Other Poems by Russel WinickJune 5, 2025

    Russel, there was a short-lived scandal now some years back, because high-prestige Oxford University Press fired editors to employ marketers.…

  5. Frank Rable on ‘Roads of Potter County’: A Poem by Frank RableJune 5, 2025

    Thank you, Stephanie! I 'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you dodge the potholes. All of them. Now…

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