Poetry

. Lyrics by Philodemus of Gadara (circa 1st century BC) translated from Greek by Joseph S. Salemi . V.13 Charito is past sixty, and yet still Her lustrous black hair falls in thick cascades; Still those ungirdled breasts stand firm and white As marble cones upon her naked chest; Still...

. A Rant . I. Pay for a surrogate to birth you a kid. Feed it on formula falsely construed. Drop it in daycare for hours on end; shunt it to public-school where it’s imbued with half-truths of History and little lies fostered by doctors deluded or dumb. The Mission:...

. To a Most Tempting Pancake “Quae mollis est, amanda est.” (What is soft, is to be loved) ---Libri Matutini (Book of Breakfasts) O golden disc, with cinnamon imbued, Thou float’st in butter, warm and debonair. Thy milky mix, with gentle hand subdued, Becomes a silken blend beyond compare. Thine...

. Sally in Our Alley ---written by Henry Carey (born Aug. 26) in 1725 Of all the girls that are so smart _There’s none like pretty Sally; She is the darling of my heart, _And she lives in our alley. There is no lady in the land _Is half so...

. Ten Floors I stepped into our building’s entranceway.It was aglow from bright sunshine that day.With friends she walked inside as I got there,So beautiful I had to stop and stare. Without a chance to speak, my next resortWas get the building manager’s report!Thus armed, I neared her door, in...

. On the 125th Anniversary of Nietzsche's Death Mr. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche wrote books that were dense and preachy, as he soared above life’s trenches, with his fellow Übermensches. Supermen like him had vaulted far above and were exalted by their scholarly devotees, who wore tweed and sported goatees. Always...

. The poem "Extinction" by Mary Jane Myers read by the poet herself at the Society of Classical Poets online Poetry Symposium on June 28, 2025: . https://youtu.be/g1xxB022Cic Video created by Andrew Benson Brown.

. A Poetic Retelling of the Myth of Icarus and Daedalus ---from "The Bird Man in the Sky" So early at the break of day, when bright beams in the east And cloudless skies told Daedalus that there was not the least Foretoken to suspect that stormy weather would appear,...

. When Prices Surge What happens to the prices when demand outstrips finite supply? Well, you’ll be darned to know that unlike all those years ago (when playing fields were level) for a show, to watch a band like Queen, the cost was set at just ten quid---you’d not end...

. The Capital The capital looks like the setting of a zombie flick. The city once had swagger; it was bright and rich and slick. At night the neon lights shone over hustlers on the streets, who’d sell you many things amidst the smells of skewered meats, a whirl of...

. This poetry challenge comes from poet Roy E. Peterson: Provide a poem about your inspiring Muse. If you name a Muse, put it in a poet's note at the bottom of your poem. If it is someone living, you need not reveal their name. For those who do not...

. Gull Pacing the parapet hungrily eyeing papers and plastic cups in the dust, her kin overhead, wheeling, crying, watching their chance to steal a crust. Floating down from the gable roof, landing nearby with a busy hustle, sidling close but warily aloof, her breeze making papers gently rustle wings...

. Shackled I crave a morning hit when I rise up, A trifle touch to take the edge away To spur me on to get my coffee cup. Don’t talk while I eat breakfast. Go away. I want a bitty bit of my sweet drug. I do my chores and...

. Farewell Colbert Late-night TV, when it started, didn’t have a path yet charted, but had teams of wise advisors who knew they’d need advertisers. Advertisers wanted viewers, who demanded interviewers that could make their lives seem brighter, while they sold what made teeth whiter. That became the rationale in...

. There Was a Time I Tried to Love the Sun There was a time I tried to love the Sun. I saw his golden splendor in the sky At Lammastide, when harvest had begun, Aflame above the windswept fields of rye. I thought to love him would be good...

. The poem "The Settlers" by Martin Rizley read by the poet himself at the Society of Classical Poets online Poetry Symposium on June 28, 2025: . https://youtu.be/BfSIHKl0aOk Video created by Andrew Benson Brown.

. Umbra The blazing height of summer’s day Now darkens to weird quasi-night--- Translucent dusk, half-cloaking gray, Half-veiling darkness pierced by sight. What shapeless cloud was blown astray That dares eclipse the noonday light Yet deigns not halt and wends its way, Wandering on in aimless flight? It floats where...

. News of a Coup The news of a coup hits the headlines. No ears prick to listen or hear. The proof plucked from yesterday’s grapevines Has dried with the last dusty tear Of natives once proud of their history Till tyrants tore roots from their tree In lands where...

. To the Ancient Mariner “O Wedding-Guest! This soul hath beenAlone on a wide wide sea;So lonely ‘twas, that God himselfScarce seeméd there to be.” ---Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner O, Mariner! What pain you felt---The sea would neither freeze nor melt,_As you abjured the Cross!Twixt...

. Pointless Poems Why do women shave their legs, It seems unnecessary. The question lingers, pleads and begs, What’s wrong with being hairy? “Water, water, everywhere “And all the boards did shrink.” Why did they shrink? Ask if I care? I don't! “What do you think?” “Why did the chicken...

. Inklings Shut off that damn brainwashing, numbing screen!Tonight I did. I reached, opened that book.From sentences, the mind gleans what it means.What happens when we painstakingly look? We visualize and vocalize the textAnd enter in the flow between the lines.Carried along, we wonder what comes next.Shun all concepts! Fill...

. Advice to a Young Man in Love If her name is Sally, then _Tattoo it on your arm With Lovehearts terminally, and _It won’t do any harm, Because, when Sally breaks your heart, _There’s Sallys up and down Quite every street in every part _Of every country town. But...

. Uxorious? He tried to guard composure as he pressed the new denarius to his chapped lips and unbecoming tears for noblemen slipped privately to stain his cheeks and bed. “Faustina, death entombs a healthful rest while dolor molds my mood,” his voice had slipped, “but I’ve betrothed your memory...

. Modes of Divination The future’s course, in all of its essentials, Is augured from a steaming heap of entrails. The tea leaves, buoyed by meniscus, Will show you where the greatest risk is. For aging hippies, using the I Ching. Is probably a nearly perfect thing. Astrologers are confident...

. Attention Deficit Disorder I once had a friend like Midas.All he touched would turn to gold;but after he would touch itthe thing would soon get old. He’d focus for a while.He’d train and run and race.His talent was uncanny.He’d leave without a trace. We’d wonder where he’d went to.We’d...

. Mnemonic Device for Military Pro-Signs A-Z Pro-signs are an alphabetical coding system used by the military for radio transmissions or for the naming of various units, to insure complete clarity of reference. ALPHA is a top-notch male, the chief and number one— BRAVO is the thing you shout when...

. Mary ---a sequel to “Martha," prompted by James A. Tweedie The night grew still, the lamps gave off a hush,And Martha’s footsteps faded down the hall.The coals were low, the herbs gave one last flush -Their fragrance lingered barely there at all. Then Mary rose, her hands clasped near...

. Sidewalk Sincerity “Hi---how are you?” he said to me, A friendly thing to say, I answered just as cordially, But he had walked away. . . Evolution I love to have close relatives and numerous good friends, Maintaining each relationship so that it never ends. But in a move...

. Falun Dafa Parade The heartbeat of a marching band lies in the beating drums, The power of a sleeping beast that shakes the ground with thrums. An energy that fills the air and lifts you from your core, The rising glow within your heart that speaks of so much...

. On Having a Little Girl She looks at me with hazel eyes And freckles on her sun-kissed cheeks. These moments, gentle, still, and blest Are ever-anchored in my chest. I tell fair tales to her in bed— Of knights and dames and fire and flight. I fight the night...

. Snapshots of Oxford---July 20, 2025 The drowsy wasps that kept me on my toes; The groups of foreign students herded by; The constant stop and look, the selfie pose; The intermittent rain, then hot and dry. A city with its dreaming spires on view; The enigmatic Wheatsheaf where I...

. Autism Sonnet The lights are much too light and sounds too loud; And thoughts are only thought in black and white; Try to tolerate a middling crowd And talk so small, so pointless, so polite. To hyper-focus is the narrow way That leads to life, that few will ever...

. Spotlights and Shadows . I. To a Limelight Leech O swankpot of the swish-and-swagger ilk Basking in your braggadocio glow, __You stoop so long and low To lap up flattery as slick as silk That spills from ovine swine of kiss-arse lip. __This eely spiel Propels your ego on...

. Mourning Doves Hear the soft coo—a coo that faithful love imparts; Mourning doves, they share as one, two beating hearts. On summer’s eaves of pine, they build their lofty nests; Tender eggs are tucked beneath warm nurturing breasts. Oval-shaped, snowy white, hatched alive, Fledglings find their downy wings—learn to...

. True Worth Her thoughts do not align with "bigger, better"; A humble mode of living suits her fine. The waning years of life bring contemplation Of what defines a "wealth." What draws the line? It's not to say material things don't matter; Advantages and travels she has known. While...

. Artificial “Intelligence” Versus Real Intelligence Chat GPT “confuses” metaphors and similes. It also “struggles” to correctly classify milled themes. It does not “understand” the difference of proper nouns and neologisms that it has “found.” It’s not “pro-found.” It’s lacking “knowledge” and much “cultural significance.” Without “emotional nuance,” it “dwells”...

. A Horse’s Tale: King Arthur’s Great Steed The horse known for bearing the greatest of kings— Proud Thor was considered the worthiest horse; Such that if all horses had voices to sing, They’d sing all their praises in honor of Thor. But horses can’t sing and only can neigh,...

. Supreme Showdown “Justice Jackson skips over that part because analyzing the governing statute involves boring legalese.” —Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett in the June 27, 2025, majority opinion in Trump v. CASA. Within her new opinion, Justice Barrett deeply probedthe mind of Justice Jackson, who she totally disrobed,exposing an...

. Readings of original poems by the poets from the Society of Classical Poets online Poetry Symposium on June 28, 2025: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_bcm-EFb5iQ?feature=share https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sv1LmOFTYM4?feature=share https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wFdJ60VnZ8A?feature=share https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LVGPcZDR-tE?feature=share Videos created by Andrew Benson Brown.

. Life on This Boat Here in this lifeboat we hopelessly wait, No one rows now, we are all but deadweight, Minding our manners, and now the first mate, Starting to smell like the raw fish we ate. What can we do in our unguided boat? Helping each other’s how...