Poetry

. 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 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...

. Carcinoma The NHS, though poised and calm, Have so far done no hurt or harm, Towards this cancer on my arm. They saw it there a month ago, And told me it would have to go; Since then I’ve sat and watched...

. 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...

. Political Musings . While bumbling Biden’s basking on the beach, The Donald’s dodging bullets in the breach. . Abortion this, abortion that—it’s 24/7; But not a word about the smash and grab at...

. 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 “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....

. Remnants of the Spring Lupine, Paintbrush, remnants of the spring Color summer’s browning meadows, splashing Renoir dots and drabbles along freshing Snow-fed streams whose whispered burbles sing Odes to...

. 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...

. Riverside Park—Labor Day An ambling river. Just a wheeze of gentle breeze. My soul aquiver. . . Desert Only sand and dread. Sunset looms in bloody red. Buzzards overhead. . . Chatter Throngs of...

. 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 Translation of the German National Anthem and a Musical Setting for the Tune “Austria” Some months ago, I jotted down a tune that carried a hint of familiarity. The notes bore a resemblance to the tune...

. The Fool Astrology has always left me cold (As cold, at least, as interstellar space); The lines along my palm can only trace The rate at which my hand is growing old. My observation of the Ouija board Says...

. 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 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...

. Autumn Reversed Once snowflakes have recrystalized,__they rise from where they fell;in Earth’s alternate universe__it’s early winter’s knell. The frost unfreezes, rain unfalls,__leaves littering the...

. Plowing Plain plowing cultivates delight Of partnership with animals: Two horses and a man unite To draw behind them crows and gulls Feeding on worms in furrows found As a plowshare tears and turns the...

. 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...

. Send in the Clones Year One. Computer, help me make this switch! This lab is now my church. Advance my mission: To nail the science for my sex transition! Frustration makes me positively twitch--- I scratch...

. The Best Haiku of 2024 The Winner and Runners-Up of the Society of Classical Poets 2024 Haiku Competition Judged by J. Thomas Rimer and Margaret Coats (see their remarks below) See all entries...

. 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 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 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...

. Resolve Much gain involves much pain and we can see, That discipline is hard, like pumping steam, Spending each glorious day sowing seeds Striving all summer to fulfil a dream. That’s tough, but leads to...

. Dusk Come down! you fading orb of heat, __Come down, and rest your head, I watched you in your slow defeat; __This day you had is dead. What marvel! that you lived at all, __What marvel, that we share, This...

. Cutie Pie Cat The pink-nosed face of Prospero my cat, Pink nose and white fur face, is what he rubs Against me, purring.  He does not know that I love him since he’s cute.  My finger scrubs His whiskers...

. 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 British Museum The best sources repeat it, unending, For the scholars in every lyceum: Many art works, of nations unlending, Can be found in the British Museum. There are statues and weapons and...

. The Dying It’s getting to be time again when all the leaves, their labors nearly done, prepare their legacy. We see them everywhere at work on this, the brilliant hues of fall announcing the new terms of...

. 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...

. Nothing Compares Last year, on a private tour of Italy and Spain, I saw the Colosseum and cathedrals… so sublime. I found it hard to comprehend the patience and the skill It took to build those...

. 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...

. Bright Light, Some City "It's probably a reflection of my own, if I may say, loneliness. I don't know. It could be the whole human condition." — Edward Hopper on "Morning Sun" Why does it matter that the...

. Storm Dog Thunder, bounding through the holler, shouts. The lights are flickering but are not out. My dog is terrified out in the rain, (My cats don’t mind or so their actions claim.) I let him in his...

. 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...

. Take Me Out to the Ball Game The game of baseball’s changed since I was younger, Back when the Giants played at Candlestick. A hot dog in my hand helped quench my hunger; The left-field stands were cheap,...

. Devotions Night after night, for nigh a year, When bedtime came, we’d watch our child Be overcome by his emotions: From glee, to rage, to childish fear, And us both stumped: What drove him so wild __And...

. Lamplights at Dusk  Along the tree-lined lane, I walk at dusk, On pavement gray, well-washed by autumn showers, And watch the fading day discard its husk, As countless leaves cascade from russet...

. California Meme-ing ---on Gov. Newsom's recent ban of AI deepfake memes The perilous and puckish AI fairy Has magicked mocking memes so sharp they've shocked Grand Guvnor Noos'em---spoofs have proved so...

. The Painter  The moment when a painting is complete, He starts another piece without delay Like respiration—take a breath; repeat. Without this passion, he won't last a day. While Nature keeps on working...