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      Human Rights in China, Poetry, Readings
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Poetry

Two Poems About Penguins, by Peter Hartley

The Society
September 27, 2021
Beauty, Humor, Poetry
34 Comments
. À La Mode In Antarctica The boffins in Antarctica are well Adapted to the climate on the ice. Among the most exclusive personnel, For stylish kit they pay a tidy price. To wow the penguins and to look their...

Video of the SCP Late Summer 2021 Poetry Reading

The Society
September 26, 2021
From the Society, Poetry, Readings
Held on September 19, 2021, hosted by James Sale. See full poetry details below the video: https://youtu.be/57lYz8tJtjM?t=3 Featured Poets “On Antifa, Coming to the Country” by Reid McGrath “Stealth...

‘A Flood in Zhengzhou’ by Damian Robin

The Society
September 26, 2021
Deconstructing Communism, Human Rights in China, Poetry
11 Comments
. on flooding that occurred on July 20, 2021 Each kingdom rose and then it fell; __when bad, the gods destroyed it. If you do not believe in Hell, __there’s no way you’ll avoid it. The Earth has reached...

Two Autumn Poems by Angel L. Villanueva

The Society
September 25, 2021
Beauty, Poetry, Villanelle
7 Comments
. Autumn's Hand I reach across for autumn's hand, When leaves begin to ride the air, To walk amid the changing land. Though I have yet some days unplanned, And winter waits to bring her glare, I reach across...

‘Teddy Roosevelt’s Fraternity’ by Alexander King Ream

The Society
September 25, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
2 Comments
. for DKE We know each guy, and each knows us, No big deal and no big fuss, Tabernacling through this life, Share the joy and bear the strife. So what, amid this toxic day, If one might jaunt into the...

‘It’s Fall, Y’all!’ and Other Poetry by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
September 24, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry
20 Comments
. It’s Fall, Y’all!   Autumn is here and I’m swathed in a sweater, A snug fluffy scarf and warm mittens. My Ugg-cuddled feet have never felt better; These boots are as cute as soft kittens. Autumn is...

‘In Praise of the Poet’ by James A. Tweedie

The Society
September 24, 2021
Beauty, Education, Poetry
17 Comments
. __Of Helen, Menelaus, war, Achilles, Paris and his treachery, __Of Agamemnon, Troy, and more, I wrote the Iliad and Odyssey. __Of Saracens and Charlemagne, Of Roland and his tragic, fateful day, __Of...

‘City of Holy Faith’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko

The Society
September 23, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
21 Comments
. City of Holy Faith The time to weep is over. Turn away From somber matters of this sordid age And turn your pilgrim gaze to Santa Fe--- Garbed in aspen gold and desert sage. The sky’s an ever-burnished...

On the 20th Anniversary of 9/11: ‘Sonnet of September’ and Other Poetry by Christopher Matthew Thomas

The Society
September 22, 2021
Culture, Poetry, Terrorism
3 Comments
. Sonnet of September Two thousand one eleven September, terrorists hijacked four planes in the sky. The crew, the passengers, did surrender, to those Bin Laden had sent to die. Two thousand one eleven...

‘I Don’t Know Why I Think Things Will Get Better’ by Geoffrey Smagacz

The Society
September 22, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
10 Comments
. I don't know why I think things will get better. I'm always holding on to flimsy hope. I've held it since I was a young go-getter before the downward slope. Is wishful thinking printed on our genes? Before...

An Interview With Leading Poet and Petrarch Translator A.M. Juster

The Society
September 21, 2021
Essays, Interviews, Poetry, Translation
6 Comments
A version of this interview originally appeared in The Epoch Times by Evan Mantyk A widely published translator of ancient Latin texts, a former high-ranking government bureaucrat, and an incredible poet who...

‘At Brighton Beach (July 19, 2021)’ by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
September 21, 2021
Beauty, Covid-19, Poetry
30 Comments
. At Brighton Beach the seagulls fly, they soar and circle in the sky; they swoop and steal the punters’ chips amidst the backdrop’s sailing ships and underneath the sun’s sharp eye. The lockdown days...

‘Leave Our Kids Alone!’: On COVID-19 Vaccines for Children, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
September 20, 2021
Covid-19, Culture, Poetry, Rondeau Redoublé
27 Comments
. Leave Our Kids Alone!  “Fauci: Officials Will Decide on COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendation for Children Aged 5 to 11 Soon” ---Epoch Times Headline 9/20/2021 The mask is off.   Come see the twisted...

‘Taking Flight’ by David Watt

The Society
September 20, 2021
Love Poems, Poetry
19 Comments
. The relentless rain sought to admonish those creatures who dared venture out. The wind carried a sorrowful message, determined to generate doubt. A less desperate man would have faltered on reaching that...

‘We Return’ by Christian J. Weaver

The Society
September 19, 2021
Beauty, Poetry
4 Comments
. Raise your quill to the sky like a madman’s harpoon— Super tempered in blood and the blackest of wine Is the blade of our mania, flashing and white As a lightning bolt fresh from the night. Raise your...

‘Biden Blues’ for the 4th Worldwide Demonstration for Freedom, by Jack DesBois

The Society
September 19, 2021
Culture, Music, Poetry
24 Comments
. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhNIScHrUOM&t=4s . Biden Blues When I was just a kid,I’d shout and I’d refuse.My mama taught me, be polite,Taught me the words to use:No thank you, Joe; no thank you,...

‘El Chapo’ and ‘Jack the Hat’ by Jeff Eardley

The Society
September 18, 2021
Humor, Poetry
24 Comments
. El Chapo El Chapo was a criminal, a very nasty bloke. A dealer in Amphetamines, along with Crack and Coke. He plied his trade in Mexico, where guns and drugs are rife. He made a pile of money and enjoyed the...

‘California Wildfires’ to the Tune of ‘California Dreamin,’ by Margaret Coats

The Society
September 17, 2021
Culture, Humor, Music, Poetry
25 Comments
. California Wildfires to the tune of “California Dreamin’” All her landscape bronzed, Her breezes ashen gray, What can Cali dream on, Despoiled and rechauffée? Never safe, too sultry In her disarray ....

‘Cancel Madame Butterfly’ by Brian Yapko

The Society
September 17, 2021
Culture, Humor, Performing Arts, Poetry, Villanelle
30 Comments
. Cancel Madame Butterfly today! Such racist music cannot soothe the soul. Let’s never show another hate-filled play. The King and I must also cause dismay Since white composers can’t know ethnic...

‘The Lyme Brain’s Refrain’ and Other Poetry by Jack DesBois

The Society
September 16, 2021
Children's, Culture, Humor, Poetry
14 Comments
. The Lyme Brain’s Refrain, or At the Cupboard What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I, what am I, what am I doing? I’m doing something—something I’m doing— But what am I, what am I, what am I...

Complete the poem: ‘The Tyranny of Fear and Lies…’

The Society
September 15, 2021
Culture, Poetry, Poetry Contests
47 Comments
This challenge comes from New York poet Joe Tessitore. He asks you to use the following couplet in a poem. Post your version in the comments section below: . How very much do I despise The tyranny of fear...

‘Oh No… UFOs’ by Mike Bryant

The Society
September 14, 2021
Culture, Humor, Poetry
21 Comments
. "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."  ---H.L....

‘Regrets and Repercussions’ by Peter Hartley

The Society
September 13, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
27 Comments
. Regrets and Repercussions Inconsequential are the things we do Sometimes, or things we don’t, we don’t know why. So will we wonder far too late and sigh To think that if we knew we could undo The past...

A Poem on Vaccine Mandates: ‘Freedom Blighters’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
September 12, 2021
Covid-19, Culture, Humor, Poetry
51 Comments
. “Of all the tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.” ---C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology  It’s said that life’s a bitch and...

On An Australian Desert Town: ‘The Station View Itch’ by David Watt

The Society
September 12, 2021
Culture, Humor, Poetry
16 Comments
. Where meagre rains are tinted red From dust the Western winds have borne, The publican to stranger said: “We’re fortunate that here is shorn A class of wool unique in hue— The pre-dyed fleece of...
poem/cooper/culture

A Poem for Sept. 11, 2021: ‘Twenty Years’ by James A. Tweedie

The Society
September 11, 2021
Culture, Poetry, Terrorism
6 Comments
. Twenty years . . . So long ago as that? When fantasy became reality And falling human bodies turned to splat. Death in living color on TV. Maxwell’s silver hammer coming down On our collective metaphoric...

Poetry for the 20th Anniversary of 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
September 11, 2021
Culture, Poetry, Rondeau, Terrorism
24 Comments
. Heroes Where are they now---the bold who brave The choke of smoke to ways that pave The path to breath beneath wide skies? Where are the ears that hear the cries Of souls they fight death’s bite to...

Two Literary Poems by James A. Tweedie

The Society
September 10, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Education, Humor, Poetry
9 Comments
. A Summary of Oedipus the King by Sophocles, and Notes This play, no doubt to Sophocles’ surprise, When first performed took only Second Prize. Summary King Oedipus of Thebes, both good and wise— Or...

‘Future Shock’ and Other Poetry by S.A. Todd

The Society
September 9, 2021
Culture, Poetry
7 Comments
. Future Shock Our newfound World is happy, calm and clean The human factor, countered by machine. Where every thought is carefully processed and value to the Groupthink goals assessed. All individuality,...

‘The World’s Greatest Love’ by Roy E. Peterson

The Society
September 8, 2021
Beauty, Love Poems, Poetry
13 Comments
. from Eternal Spring Once upon a time in space God contrived the human race, Gave two things to help us cope: One was love, the other hope. Man was destined for a fall, But love sustained him after all. When...

Musings on Dali’s ‘Christ of St. John of the Cross,’ by Peter Hartley

The Society
September 7, 2021
Art, Beauty, Culture, Ekphrastic, Poetry
18 Comments
. I This crucifixion hides the anguish. Racked With pain, belied by bloodless hands and feet; Intolerable torments, they compete As muscles in that arching back contract. His hanging head forestalls all eye...

‘A Black Swan in Tiananmen Square’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
September 6, 2021
Culture, Poetry
28 Comments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw5AJQgDeQQ&feature=emb_imp_woyt . What can it mean---this swan of black? What cryptic codes must eggheads crack? What will this ebon-feathered thing Of beauty...
poem/coats/beauty

‘On Lonely Paths’ and Other Poetry by Martin Rizley

The Society
September 6, 2021
Beauty, Poetry
9 Comments
. On Lonely Paths On lonely paths I like to walk, beneath pure azure skies, Where white clouds stretch like streaks of chalk, and one lone eagle flies; I watch him gliding overhead and feel as blithe and...

The 21 Best Haiku of 2021

The Society
September 5, 2021
Beauty, Best Poems, From the Society, Haiku and Senryu, Poetry, Poetry Contests
43 Comments
Winner and Runners-up of the Society of Classical Poets 2021 Haiku Competition Judged by Margaret Coats (see her remarks below) See all entrants here. . WINNER . Fog enshrouds the nightWoven in the heavy...

In Memory of Sean Howard: A Poem by James A. Tweedie

The Society
September 5, 2021
Beauty, Covid-19, Poetry
9 Comments
. Sean who passed away this week in Honolulu, Hawaii Although there are a few who’ll grieve and mourn, Who’ll celebrate his life and then move on, The unexpected loss will be hard borne By those who called...

Thomas Jefferson, Poet: An Essay by Michael Curtis

The Society
September 5, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Essays, Poetry
4 Comments
. Most schoolgirls, street-people, attorneys, and Bachelors of Art are aware that Thomas Jefferson composed what is likely the most widely-known, oft-repeated sentence in American history: . We hold these...

‘Prayer of the Guilty Poet’ and Other Poetry by Joe Tessitore

The Society
September 4, 2021
Beauty, Humor, Poetry
14 Comments
. Prayer of the Guilty Poet Before I put these words to ink, Be still, my pen, and let me think. Are they the balm to expiate, Or bomb indeed, to detonate? . . A City Short Make no excuse, I heard a...

‘Know How to Mow’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson

The Society
September 3, 2021
Culture, Humor, Poetry
19 Comments
. Know How to Mow __You want to raise your rates, you say? __Your crying poor is killing me, __for what it’s worth.  Just yesterday, __when you were blithely billing me __for services you rendered on __a...

A Poem in Honor of the 13 U.S. Servicemen Who Died in Afghanistan, by Bruce Dale Wise

The Society
September 2, 2021
Culture, Poetry
24 Comments
. With Coffins at the Dover Air Force Base: 29 August 2021 On Sunday, Biden traveled to the Dover Air Force Base to pay respect for thirteen service members who were slain. But grieving parents of the dead...

‘Allgibberish’ and Other Poetry by Phil S. Rogers

The Society
September 2, 2021
Culture, Humor, Poetry
9 Comments
. Allgibberish (I Saw a Man Who Wasn't There) after “Antigonish” (“I Met a Man Who Wasn't There”) by William Hughes Mearns Yesterday in great despair, I saw a man who wasn't there. He's on the news...
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  1. Russel Winick on ‘The Water Closet’ and Other Bathroom Poetry by Cheryl CoreyMay 16, 2025

    So Cheryl - this one is in your honor, for introducing the topic: HOW TO NOT RUIN YOUR DAY For…

  2. C.B. Anderson on ‘Pressed for Time’: A Poem by C.B. AndersonMay 16, 2025

    Exactly, James. We theosophers call it the mystery of existence.

  3. C.B. Anderson on ‘Pressed for Time’: A Poem by C.B. AndersonMay 16, 2025

    Well, Alan, you must have heard already that old trope: Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to…

  4. Cheryl A Corey on ‘Going Home to Campania’: A Poem by Patricia Rogers CrozierMay 16, 2025

    Very effective how you begin and end the poem with contrasting images of both road and pines, past and present.…

  5. Cheryl A Corey on ‘The Water Closet’ and Other Bathroom Poetry by Cheryl CoreyMay 16, 2025

    Thanks, Russel. I learned of Sir John Harrington in a book I'm reading, and that became the impetus for the…

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