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    • Hiding Behind a Mask: Five Poems by Anna J. Arredondo

      The Society
      December 12, 2019
      Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
      17 Comments
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    • ‘On the Epstein Files Debacle’: A Poem by Drilon Bajrami

      The Society
      July 19, 2025
    • ‘One Dumb Mistake’: A Sestina by M.D. Skeen

      The Society
      July 19, 2025
      5
    • ‘Not All Angels Play the Harp’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson

      The Society
      July 18, 2025
      6
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      The Society
      July 18, 2025
      15
    • ‘Martha’: A Poem by Scharlie Meeuws

      The Society
      July 17, 2025
      7
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      The Society
      July 16, 2025
      3
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      The Society
      September 1, 2020
      From the Society, Poetry, Poetry Contests, Translation
      2 Comments
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    • The Society of Classical Poets 2025 Haiku Competition

      The Society
      June 21, 2025
      193
    • Winners of Friends of Falun Gong 2025 Poetry Competition Announced

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      May 13, 2025
      1
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      March 31, 2025
    • The Best Poems of 2024: Winners of SCP International Poetry Competition

      The Society
      February 1, 2025
      28
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      February 1, 2025
      2
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      September 29, 2024
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  • ‘On the Epstein Files Debacle’: A Poem by Drilon Bajrami

    The Society
    July 19, 2025
    Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
  • ‘One Dumb Mistake’: A Sestina by M.D. Skeen

    The Society
    July 19, 2025
    Poetry, Satire, Sestina
    5 Comments
  • ‘Not All Angels Play the Harp’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson

    The Society
    July 18, 2025
    Culture, Poetry
    6 Comments
  • ‘Living Dead’: A Poem by James A. Tweedie

    The Society
    July 18, 2025
    Blank Verse, Culture, Poetry
    15 Comments
  • ‘Martha’: A Poem by Scharlie Meeuws

    The Society
    July 17, 2025
    Beauty, Culture, Poetry
    7 Comments
  • ‘The Harvest’: A Poem by Peter Venable

    The Society
    July 16, 2025
    Beauty, Poetry
    3 Comments
  • ‘Unspoken Moments’: A Poem by Michael Pendragon

    The Society
    July 16, 2025
    Beauty, Poetry
    8 Comments
  • ‘The Hokey-Cokey—Chaucer Style’: A Poem by Paul A. Freeman

    The Society
    July 15, 2025
    Chaucer, Culture, Poetry
    14 Comments
  • ‘Poetic Influences’: A Poem by Margaret Brinton

    The Society
    July 15, 2025
    Beauty, Poetry
    8 Comments
  • ‘Of a Feather’ and Other Poems by C.B. Anderson

    The Society
    July 14, 2025
    Culture, Humor, Poetry
    7 Comments
  • ‘Vesper’ and Other Poetry by Martin Briggs

    The Society
    July 14, 2025
    Beauty, Poetry
    16 Comments
  • ‘Lasting Karma’: A Poem by Thomas Beckman

    The Society
    July 13, 2025
    Beauty, Culture, Poetry
    4 Comments

‘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...

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...

‘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...

‘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...

‘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...

‘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...

‘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...

‘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...

‘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...

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....

‘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...

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...

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...

‘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...

‘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...

‘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...

‘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...

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...

‘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...

‘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...

‘An Uplifting Book’ by Daniel Magdalen

The Society
September 13, 2016
Beauty, Poetry
1 Comment
  The eyes emerge from slumber’s lake of lead, Awakened by the zephyr flying past, In wonderment to witness, overhead, An otherworldly...

‘On the Shores of Lake Erie’ by G.M.H. Thompson

The Society
September 11, 2016
Beauty, Poetry
2 Comments
On the shores of Lake Erie, most weak & most weary, a soldier sat sunning, returned from the wars,     And though it...

‘We Shall Never Forget’ and Other Poetry by Alan Jankowski

The Society
September 10, 2016
Poetry, Terrorism
2 Comments
We Shall Never Forget Let the world always remember, That fateful day in September, And the ones who answered duty's call, Should be remembered...

‘Terrorism Can Be Defeated’ by Sandip Saha

The Society
September 9, 2016
Poetry, Terrorism
  Terror has infected the world today; And this disease is spreading day by day. Fanatics who lack spirituality And religions without...

‘The Joy of Silence’

The Society
September 7, 2016
Beauty, Poetry
By Anonymous Sometimes I sit alone for a while, Watching life go by, Sitting high on a mountain top, Wondering just why Those ant-sized lives...

‘Will Power’ and Other Poetry by Ron L. Hodges

The Society
September 5, 2016
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry
Will Power When God asked Solomon one day     What his heart did most desire, The man said if he had his...

‘Games of Gridlock’ (Rondeau) by E.V. Wyler

The Society
September 4, 2016
Poetry, Rondeau
2 Comments
"Games of Gridlock," people proclaim, "court our congress in shifts of shame!" If pay-to-play campaigns unlash a people-to-the-poles...

‘…That Cruelest Spring’ by Daniel P. Rattelle

The Society
September 3, 2016
Beauty, Poetry
3 Comments
  And then we remembered that cruelest spring, when we awoke to find ourselves hollow. Where once we mocked, “O Death where is thy...

2017 Poetry Competition

The Society
September 1, 2016
Education, From the Society, Poetry, Poetry Contests
8 Comments
Submission Instructions Submit three to five poems, each of which does not exceed 50 lines. Email as a word file or in the email body to...

‘The Poet’s Purpose’ and Other Poetry by Gleb Zavlanov

The Society
August 31, 2016
Beauty, High School Submissions, Poetry
11 Comments
  The Poet’s Purpose A poet praises all of nature’s treasures, He seeks to find the pathway to her core, To laud the rarest beauty in...

‘Such Was My Prayer’ and Other Poetry by James Sale

The Society
August 29, 2016
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
8 Comments
Such Was My Prayer Such was my prayer. And she, so far away, Or so it seemed, looked down at me and smiled; Then to Eternal Light she turned once...

‘Skaters’ by Conrad Geller

The Society
August 28, 2016
Beauty, Poetry
3 Comments
  Phantom skaters in the park turn, and glide, and never fall, faces clouded, figures dark. They are phantoms, after all. Turn and...

‘Ice’ and Other Poetry by Michael Curtis

The Society
August 26, 2016
Children's, Culture, Humor, Poetry
3 Comments
  Ice I open my golden flowing fins,     I dance beneath the ice, I dip and twirl and pose and...

‘The Garden Guest’ and Other Poetry by Lorna Davis

The Society
August 25, 2016
Beauty, Poetry
6 Comments
The Garden Guest Gaia has entered my garden today, She moves with a rustling of leaves. I can see her pass where the branches sway, I can feel...

‘Defining Blue’ by Geoffrey Pippin

The Society
August 24, 2016
Beauty, Poetry
  Capturing all that isn’t blue, The sky, extending out of view, Pitches over the gathered green, Its grassy sheen Draped, reflected,...

‘Blaschka Glass’ and Other Poetry by Bruce Dale Wise

The Society
August 22, 2016
Beauty, Culture, Human Rights in China, Poetry, Terrorism
4 Comments
Blaschka Glass By Beau Ecs Wilder So beautiful they are, the lovely Blaschka glass displays, exquisite floral blossoms and marine...

‘A Hero’ and Other Poetry by Evan Mantyk

The Society
August 21, 2016
Culture, Human Rights in China, Poetry
18 Comments
  A Hero These are the weathered shoes worn by the Jew, So cracked from all the miles walked since he fled. These are the slave’s strong...

‘A Song to Some Lady’ by Justin T. Monelt

The Society
August 20, 2016
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
1 Comment
  If I were to have been conceived Beneath a greater star, My sorrows would have been reprieved By powers great and far. Were I to have...

‘The Desire for Revenge’ by Anne Whitehouse

The Society
August 18, 2016
Beauty, Poetry
Inside the desire for revenge is a painful vulnerability, a reminder of damage that won’t leave, and you wish for satisfaction, or just...

‘To Beauty’ and Other Poetry by H. Wendell Howard

The Society
August 17, 2016
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
2 Comments
To Beauty (Tribute to Sarah Lane, American Ballet Theater Ballerina) Who see you move across the stage Themselves are moved by easeful...
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  1. Maria Panayi on ‘Living Dead’: A Poem by James A. TweedieJuly 20, 2025

    Thank you for the explanation. Especially explaining iambic pentameter and its historical and linguistic significance. You must be tired of…

  2. Ngo Binh Anh Khoa on The Society of Classical Poets 2025 Haiku CompetitionJuly 19, 2025

    life in perspectives the golden hour flashing in a mayfly's eyes still turning toward the light beyond the darkness sunflowers…

  3. Kahren Morris-Denby on The Society of Classical Poets 2025 Haiku CompetitionJuly 19, 2025

    Kahren Morris-Denby mud squelches through toes houses swirl through rising flood tears flow forever cumulus clouds float across snowy mountain…

  4. Cynthia L Erlandson on ‘One Dumb Mistake’: A Sestina by M.D. SkeenJuly 19, 2025

    M.D., I think you've done a good job on this sestina. I actually used to think I didn't like sestinas,…

  5. Joseph S. Salemi on ‘Living Dead’: A Poem by James A. TweedieJuly 19, 2025

    Well, I suppose one could take "blank verse" as a misleading phrase, if you emphasize that "blank" could mean void…

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