‘The Policeman’ and Other Poetry by Bruce Dale Wise The Society November 20, 2016 Culture, Poetry 2 Comments The Policeman By Brice U. Lawseed He dreamed there were ten thousand demonstrators on the streets, a nightmare of the vicious mixed with youngsters sending tweets. He woke up in a sweat, but it had...
‘Hide and Seek at the Bataclan’ by Elizabeth Boquet The Society November 19, 2016 Poetry, Terrorism 18 Comments Paris, 13 November 2015 The hiders: cheaters with suicide-belted access to ethereal hiding places — traceless but for grieving faces searching sidewalks. The seekers: police, army, press corps,...
‘Citizens’ (For Donald J. Trump) by Joseph Charles MacKenzie The Society November 17, 2016 Poetry 13 Comments For Donald J. Trump, on the occasion of his victory A Citizen arose, and men of blood, With wrists for necks and heads a folded fist, Advanced against him in a scarlet flood Of wrath,...
‘The Pleasure-Time of Good Queen Bess’ by Becca Menon The Society November 15, 2016 Culture, Poetry 1 Comment Now does a mischief Winter grip our Isle with hands Which, Midas-like, turn all they touch to silvery ice. Thus does our season prove itself more strong than old, Its touch is an enchantment...
How to Write a Haiku The Society November 13, 2016 Education, Essays, Haiku and Senryu, Poetry, Poetry Forms 12 Comments A Quick Haiku Guide A traditional haiku should... 1. Be three lines. The first line should have five syllables, the second seven syllables, the third five syllables. Seventeen syllables total. 2. Contain...
On the Anti-Trump Protests in Portland, Oregon The Society November 11, 2016 Poetry 10 Comments By Ubs Reece Idwal "We reject the president-elect." —protesting chant In Portland, Oregon, four thousand demonstrators came, protesting the election, passions fuming, hate aflame. At first the...
‘So Far, So Good’ and Other Poetry by Robert Cooperman The Society November 11, 2016 Beauty, Humor, Poetry 1 Comment So Far, So Good One friend fears his father’s Alzheimer fate, another prepares herself for the end while her husband tries not to cry or state she can’t leave, but for her sake he...
‘Hiding My Glee’ and Other Poetry by E.V. Wyler The Society November 9, 2016 Humor, Poetry, Rondeau 2 Comments Hiding My Glee (Rondeau) Hiding my glee, lest my spouse see the merriment mulling in me. I’ll deftly deflect our next fight by delaying my lone delight that the winner’s my...
‘Of Election and Limits’ by Alec Ream The Society November 8, 2016 Culture, Poetry . I think we need your help Lord God; Fairly sure we do, Sure as feet upon the sod, Sure as coins be few, We must concede the modern day is dim and dark, unclear, For limits seem so far away, while close at...
‘The Fall of Atlantis’ by Daniel Magdalen The Society November 7, 2016 Culture, Poetry 6 Comments Can one’s eyes pierce the shroud of time to learn The message of Atlantis drowned in dust? Past Hercules’s Pillars thrived man’s lust For power – now in History’s dark urn, As baneful greed’s...
‘Pygmalion at Twilight’ and Other Poetry by Keith Allan Jones The Society November 6, 2016 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 1 Comment Pygmalion at Twilight Like a fiery dawn came we forth unto Our place on pedestals above the dunes Of disappointment – longing dared to paint A fairer portrait, distorted by the wait; A gilded...
‘Trump’ Presidential Prophecy Poem by Nostradamus The Society November 5, 2016 Culture, Poetry, Translation 1 Comment By Nostradamus (1503-1566) | Translated by Evan Mantyk X 76 The great Senate will award the pageant, To one who’s then vanquished, driven out; For adherents, the sound of the...
‘Culloden Moor’ and Other Poetry by Alessio Zanelli The Society November 4, 2016 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 6 Comments Culloden Moor At last they met. No sound. Arrays deployed. It was the perfect day—no haze, no shine. Long minutes lapsed before the bagpipes trilled. By noon it all ran smooth. Forlorn and...
How to Write a Rubaiyat (with Examples) The Society November 2, 2016 Education, Poetry, Poetry Forms, Rubaiyat 15 Comments By Sathya Narayana The rubaiyat (pronounced “roo-bái-yát”) is a Persian form of several quatrains. Its name is derived from the Arabic plural of the word for "quatrain," rubá'íyah. This, in turn,...
‘Said the Painter’ and Other Poetry by Alec Ream The Society October 31, 2016 Art, Beauty, Ekphrastic, Poetry 8 Comments . . Said the Painter Upon the mossy stones I dwelt,I did, and was, and painting feltAn arch and angel bend to speak,Their sainted tones my brush to seek. And why such was, I could not say,But much they...
Solace from Terror, a Set of Poems about Living in the West by Damian Robin The Society October 29, 2016 Beauty, Culture, Human Rights in China, Poetry, Terrorism 1 Comment Persistent Danger Where is this going when state and foe mow down civilians and non-combatants in market stalls? They shock and flame like an erratic clown whose grisly creativity...
10 Greatest Love Poems Ever Written The Society October 27, 2016 Best Poems, Education, Essays, Poetry 52 Comments by Conrad Geller People are always asking "What are the best love poems?" or "Where can I find something beautiful to say to the woman I love?" or "...to the man I love?" If you are looking for love poems in...
Friends of Falun Gong Poetry Contest The Society October 25, 2016 Education, Human Rights in China, Poetry 1 Comment In the name of poetry, we implore you … Since time immemorial, poetry has moved people’s hearts and shaped humanity at large. As poets we surely have a purpose. Today, in China, speech and belief are...
‘Aleppo’ and Other Poetry by Bruce Dale Wise The Society October 23, 2016 Beauty, Culture, Human Rights in China, Humor, Poetry, Terrorism 2 Comments Aleppo By Cid Wa'eeb El Sur We will drain it dry as hay. Peace shall neither night nor day hang upon its pent-house lid; it shall be a place forbid. Weary seven months times nine, shall it...
Shakespeare’s Iambic Pentameter Treats Autism, Say Researchers The Society October 22, 2016 Culture, Poetry, Shakespeare 4 Comments By Conan Milner | The Epoch Times For centuries, the plays of William Shakespeare have been celebrated for their larger-than-life storytelling and rhythmic language. Now the Bard’s work is being studied...
‘Intimations of a Dream’ and Other Poetry by Brett Forester The Society October 21, 2016 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 1 Comment Intimations of a Dream When the wind rustles through the open pine, And the leaves murmur and shudder off dew; When the sun, like an undeciphered sign, Through the imperial vault of swimming...
How to Write a Villanelle (with Examples) The Society October 19, 2016 Education, Poetry, Poetry Forms, Villanelle 10 Comments by Dusty Grein Hailing from 15th and 16th century French and Italian roots, the villanelle is arguably one of the strongest repeating refrain forms in classical poetry. Related How to Write a Sonnet How...
‘For Elizabeth’ and Other Poetry by Joseph Charles MacKenzie The Society October 17, 2016 Beauty, Poetry, Terrorism 20 Comments For Elizabeth If charm were a country, then you would be Its capital of many domes and spires Gilded and gleaming off a crystal sea, And graced with every art that love inspires. If beauty a...
‘A Bear in My Living Room’ and Other Poetry by Michael Harmon The Society October 15, 2016 Beauty, Humor, Poetry, The Environment 2 Comments A Bear in My Living Room While playing some computer games One day, I heard a noise out in The living room. I frowned, but paused And went to see. To my chagrin A bear was squatting on the...
‘A Healthy Bath of Exquisite Beauty’: An Interview with Michael Curtis The Society October 13, 2016 Essays, Interviews, Poetry 6 Comments By Evan Mantyk Michael Curtis A classical architect, sculptor, painter, and poet, Michael Curtis is, in no uncertain terms, a Renaissance man. He has taught and lectured at universities, colleges, and...
‘Growing Up’ and Other Poetry by Nicholas Froumis The Society October 12, 2016 Humor, Poetry 3 Comments Growing Up So lucky they used to say, and it was when it was rare. But now there’s way too much gray in the thinning crop of hair. And why must you now choose here of all the places to grow? Count...
‘The Not-Lily Flower’ By Hibah Shabkhez The Society October 11, 2016 Beauty, Poetry In the grey-streaked dawn I can barely glean A deck of petals expertly dealt out in a ring A clingy little flower, prest into the railing Of the dew-drugged garden already the queen O rose with your...
‘Aesop’s Gelato Parlor’ by G.M.H. Thompson The Society October 9, 2016 Humor, Poetry 5 Comments There was a king who sought to enter Law, for as he noshed a cone of Rocky Road, the Emperor of Ice-Cream froze his jaws & caused the Queen to love pie á la mode. The Court’s legates cold...
‘The Price’ and Other Poetry by Dusty Grein The Society October 7, 2016 Beauty, Culture, Pantoum, Poetry, Rondeau Redoublé, The Environment 1 Comment The Price (a pantoum in iambic pentameter) The sea and sky, once beautiful and clean, They’ve paid the price for man’s hubris and greed. The jungle canopies were brilliant green as nature...
How to Write a Rondeau (with “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae) The Society October 5, 2016 Education, Poetry, Poetry Forms, Rondeau 2 Comments Related How to Write a Sonnet How to Write a Haiku How to Write a Limerick How to Write a Villanelle How to Write a Poem Like the Raven by E. V. Wyler Created by French troubadours during the Middle...
‘A Rhyme Crime’ and Other Poetry by Mae Sue Leslie The Society October 3, 2016 Humor, Poetry, Terrorism 5 Comments A Rhyme Crime An old man once curtly said, "I wouldn't give a dime for poetry that has rhyme." A rhyme nut killed him dead. Now his widow mourns past times as she hears the rhyme nut's rhymes. "My...
Paean to “ODE TO JOY” and Other Poetry by Don Shook The Society October 1, 2016 Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry 5 Comments Paean to “ODE TO JOY”* I heard the “Ode to Joy” today, ten thousand times at least. I could not hold my heart at bay, engorging on a feast of melody, of majesty, of rhythmic...
10 Greatest Poems about Death: A Grim Reader The Society September 29, 2016 Best Poems, Culture, Education, Essays, Poetry 17 Comments By Conrad Geller Poets demonstrably know nothing about death since it is, in Hamlet’s phrase, “the undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns.” Yet from the Egyptian Book of the Dead...
‘My Mirror Grinned’ (Rondeau) and Other Poetry by Sathya Narayana The Society September 27, 2016 Beauty, Humor, Poetry, Rondeau, Rubaiyat 6 Comments My Mirror Grinned (Rondeau) My mirror grinned at my first grey. With rearing youth, it’s my first fray. Disturbed, with care I plucked that bane, next day to find one more, again! I cried and sighed...
‘The Pleiades’ (Pantoum) by Carol Smallwood The Society September 25, 2016 Beauty, Culture, Pantoum, Poetry 6 Comments There is a tale of seven sisters whose father help up the sky pursued by Orion, carried to the heavens by Zeus. Farming season began when their star cluster appeared high— their position in the...
‘Greening Fields’ by Carole Mertz The Society September 23, 2016 Beauty, Poetry 12 Comments Today I may dream of stubbled fields shriveled foretelling of future prospects grim. If tomorrow’s dreams are green, is it a given I’ll have...
‘Falun Dafa Hao’ by Courtney Dowe (with Audio) The Society September 21, 2016 Human Rights in China, Poetry, Readings 1 Comment "Falun Dafa Hao" is Chinese for "Falun Dafa is good." Falun Dafa, also known as a Falun Gong, is a peaceful spiritual practice that has been persecuted in China since 1999. The world will wonder how We let...
How to Write a Pantoum (With Example) The Society September 19, 2016 Beauty, Education, Pantoum, Poetry, Poetry Forms 19 Comments By Carol Smallwood The pantoum is a poetry form that originated in 15th century Malaysia and drifted West in the 19th century with French writer Victor Hugo, among others. While it never quite took off like...
‘Genesis’ by Liùsaidh The Society September 17, 2016 Culture, Humor, Poetry 4 Comments Gathering like large and lazy vultures they asked me, on my travels, where I’m from — my origins, religion and my culture the place from which I came, so forth, and on. But how to answer...
‘Unexpiring’ and Other Poetry by Alec Ream The Society September 15, 2016 Art, Beauty, Ekphrastic, Poetry . Unexpiring Ekphrastic on the above photo Unexpiring constant Sun, Earth untired responding spun, Surging fire, maternal birth, Urgent sire of vernal mirth. Père Sol, of ruth and blaze, Mère Earth of...