Poetry

. Classical Camouflaged __It begins, like all prose poems today, with a bit of narrated diary, as though it were a tale by Hemmingway, but more self-conscious and less flowery. __It then proceeds to rub the...

. Canzone to the Virgin by Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374) Translated by Margaret Coats Virgin beautiful, vested with the sun And crowned with stars, who pleased the Sun supreme So much that within you He hid...

. Jeffrey Epstein in His Cell On nights like this a lesser man might pray; Instead he dreams of islands in his cell And sends his thoughts a thousand miles away To there await the hour of his farewell. The...

. Nature at Peace The feeder for our hummingbird. Was torn down by a bear today. She didn’t growl a single word She just reached up and had her way. And then, as if they owned the place, Two deer sashayed...

. A Tribune to Mrs. Malaprop My fellow poets, lend me your arrears! Of arms and divan I sing. Let’s have three cheers For Mrs. Malaprop, that dole enchanting tongue-tried Miss Communicating aunt From...

. "Gravitas" On the Sack of Rome by the Gauls in 390 B.C. adapted from Livy’s “Ab Urbe Condita,” Book V, Chapters 38-42 The sunset torched the summer sky, __The spectral moon rose round When a shadow...

. Share your poetry on currently unfolding Russo-Ukrainian war in the comments section below.  We received a large response on our first post of poetry on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February and our...

. The End Begins a rondeau redoublé Now the end begins, do not despair. It’s meant to be. What better battlecry? It’s time for positivity and prayer. The unjust try to justify... then die. The mighty...

. And Turn Thanks for the twenty seconds of Your crisp, medicinal perspective, Encapsulated in a laugh That shook like a bragging monkey’s ass. Call it a joke, a gentle nudge— It pushed me over some good...

. Servant of the Servants of God Servus Servorum Dei —a title of the Pope A small informal gathering of clergy From satin cassocks down to the discalced Queue in line before the Petrine Seat. There are some...

. From Heathrow to Houston I heard my words would never change a thing From those who had a nose for senseless stuff. They warned me that my odes would never bring Me joy. They cursed my verse as puffs of...

. Habakkuk’s Prayer after Habakkuk 3:2, 16-19; excerpts of the prophet’s prayer as he awaited certain destruction of his nation, Judah, by the Babylonian armies (6th century BC). My Yahweh God, I raise my...

. A Man’s Retreat A man’s retreat is his garage—a place To keep his vehicle, yes; but also space To store his manly, miscellaneous hoards: The glues and putties; automotive oils, Waxes, wipes, and...

. More than My Queen My Queen has always been a noble force--- A force for good on chilly English days. Her friendly face, her air of grace---my source Of joy in more than crown-and-sceptre ways. I saw her...

. The Twins _Said one foot to the other, _“Please don’t nag, you’re not my mother, I am sick to death of listening to your woes. _You lament you’re always tired, _Whereas I am always wired, Quit...

. Expansive Poets, Classical Poets, and the Future of Poetry by Michael Curtis Modern poetry is not—it is neither poetry nor modern.  Poetry is words lined in measure, of some three seconds length, the...

. Uvalde I’m struck with news and views today __As youth and truth lie dead. Words bruise me in a mad melee __Of mind-marauding dread. I’m stunned by words, too many heard __To mull...

. Memories of Memorial Day Sad son standing all alone Staring at the marker stone. Father died he never knew--- Died for him and died for you. Widow’s tears upon her cheek. Trembling body feeling...

. Liberty If skies were ever-blue each lustrous day, If moons were in bold bloom each raven night, If life was never fouled by disarray And all beneath the Milky Way was right, __Would we require a tempest’s...

. Race Then and Now Race did not matter, The way we were taught. It never should influence Judgments or thought. Just look at the person, We’re mostly the same, With stereotypes Cause for nothing but...

. Simplicity I’m aching for a vague simplicity: Sophistication’s dainties have grown cold And tepid on the plate and suddenly My tastes lean toward a warm sobriety That feels quite new yet somehow very...

. You are invited to a reading of exquisite poetry and conversations with the poets.  . Date & Time Sunday June 26, 2022 2 p.m. (New York time), 7 p.m. (U.K. time) Duration: 1 hour . Location Join...

. Karl Barth Platz 1999 Perhaps we walked the same worn cobblestones, Between the same sheer walls, shops clean and trim, Down the same pathways, past the same old homes, And were startled alike by graffiti...

. Reviewed Book: Modern Art: An Exhibition in Criticism, by Michael Curtis, National Civic Art Society, 2022 by Evan Mantyk On May 12, 2021, a terrible painting somehow sold for $103 million. It depicts a...

. Press On, Regardless Conduct a full internal audit, Then throw all caution to the wind. Expect a decent measured plaudit No hypercritic can rescind. And if you think you can’t do better It’s time that...

. Sibylline Sonnets for Eastertide See an explanation on what Sibyls are here. The Phrygian Sibyl Speaks portrayed with the resurrection banner or the words “Velum templi scindetur” Jesus, again crying...

. Where Your Treasure Is “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where...

. The Society of Classical Poets Journal X has been published! It features poetry, translations, and essays selected from those published on the SCP website between February 1, 2021 and January 31, 2022. See...

. Nil Carborundum Illegitimi  On dismal days enswathe yourself in rays, Then flash your splash of sunrise with panache. Such zesty citrus, saffron spun displays Will smash malaise with sassy solar dash--- A...

. The Mass Mock-Shock of Monkeypox a villanelle Shun the mass mock-shock of monkeypox--- Force-fed fear declaiming death is nigh. Spurn the ceaseless bleat to lock down flocks. Snub the...

. Free-Fall My life has been in free-fall since the day that I was born. __Through clouds and sunshine, I have flown and soared. The trip has been exhilarating since that birth-day morn. __There hasn’t been...

. Actaeon Transformed after Titian and Ovid Like his hounds, the hunter Actaeon in Titian's painting, drawn by some sharp scent, saw the goddess lounge with nothing on her body, on whose limbs the light was...

. May God Excuse Us If life’s a falling knife then catch the handle... Your every move makes enemies and friends. If life’s a fading flare, a dimming candle, Then slice it up and light up all the...

. Formal Poetry Against Free Verse "Modern poetry  modern verse  contemporary poetry  contemporary verse modern poem contemporary poem Plato in “inventing some extraordinarily powerful images of his...

. Now Once Again How many years ago, I’ve lost the count, we lay beneath these trees at summer’s end; the orchard left to tend itself for then the children came and seasons tumbled all together, mad...

. . Shanghai's Robo Dogs With quick unnatural steps, and side to side Focusing glances, robo dogs preside And prowl the streets. They wear their growls in little Speakers around their necks, their barking...

. Culloden, April 16, 1746 In the Winter of 1745, the Jacobite army of Bonnie Prince Charlie passed through my town of Leek on the way to Derby. This was as far as they got before retreating back to the...

. Shear Wickedness He was black from his nose to the tip of his tail __But for irises of a rich yellow. In his earlier days he was handsome and hale— __Yes, indeed, a magnificent fellow. But the calendar...

. According to The Telegraph, the University of Salford is planning to remove sonnets from its Creative Writing program.  The reason? They are "products of white western culture" and the University of Salford...

. All Are Numbered Moving along the narrow grassy rows Under a sherbet sky, time seems to be The only place where nothing ever grows Or dies, and grass remains, eternally Quite clipped and orderly. It truly...