Society of Classical Poets logo
  • About Us
  • Join
  • Donate
  • Poetry
    Random
    • Poetry on the CCP Virus (Covid-19), Including Peter Austin Sonnets

      The Society
      May 4, 2020
      Covid-19, Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Human Rights in China, Poetry
      5 Comments
    Recent
    • ‘Martha’: A Poem by Scharlie Meeuws

      The Society
      July 17, 2025
      2
    • ‘The Harvest’: A Poem by Peter Venable

      The Society
      July 16, 2025
      2
    • ‘Unspoken Moments’: A Poem by Michael Pendragon

      The Society
      July 16, 2025
      6
    • ‘The Hokey-Cokey—Chaucer Style’: A Poem by Paul A. Freeman

      The Society
      July 15, 2025
      11
    • ‘Poetic Influences’: A Poem by Margaret Brinton

      The Society
      July 15, 2025
      6
    • ‘Of a Feather’ and Other Poems by C.B. Anderson

      The Society
      July 14, 2025
      7
  • Submit
  • Contests
    Random
    • poetry/mantyk/poetry contests

      Winners of 2023 SCP International High School Poetry Competition Announced

      The Society
      February 1, 2024
      High School Submissions, Poetry, Poetry Contests
      4 Comments
    Recent
    • The Society of Classical Poets 2025 Haiku Competition

      The Society
      June 21, 2025
      178
    • Winners of Friends of Falun Gong 2025 Poetry Competition Announced

      The Society
      May 13, 2025
      1
    • 2025 Friends of Falun Gong Poetry Competition

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

      The Society
      February 1, 2025
      28
    • Winners of 2024 SCP International High School Poetry Competition Announced

      The Society
      February 1, 2025
      2
    • The Best Haiku of 2024: Winners of the 2024 SCP Haiku Competition

      The Society
      September 29, 2024
      14
  • Journal
  • Books
  • Members
  • Poetry Contests
  • Donate
  • About Us
  • Submit
  • Poetry
  • ‘Martha’: A Poem by Scharlie Meeuws

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

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

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

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

    The Society
    July 15, 2025
    Beauty, Poetry
    6 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
    14 Comments
  • ‘Lasting Karma’: A Poem by Thomas Beckman

    The Society
    July 13, 2025
    Beauty, Culture, Poetry
    4 Comments
  • ‘Three Philosophical Quatrains’ by Ian Allaby

    The Society
    July 13, 2025
    Culture, Humor, Poetry
    4 Comments
  • ‘Poetry as a Pathway to Critical Thinking’: An Essay by Leland James

    The Society
    July 12, 2025
    Education, Essays, Poetry
    4 Comments
  • Poetry Challenge: Classic Poem and Response

    The Society
    July 12, 2025
    Poetry, Poetry Challenge
    41 Comments
  • ‘The Flower’s Refrain’: A Poem by Ulysses Arlen

    The Society
    July 11, 2025
    Beauty, Poetry
    8 Comments

A Poem for Nantes Cathedral, by Margaret Coats

The Society
September 10, 2020
Beauty, Chant Royal, Culture, Poetry
23 Comments
For Nantes Cathedral Ravaged by Arson in July 2020, a Tribute  This holy place, where the enthusiasm of builders was succeeded by doubt...

A Poem on the Earliest Known English Poet, Caedmon, by Philip Rosenbaum

The Society
September 9, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
4 Comments
. Poet's Note: The Venerable Bede tells us that in the 7th century Caedmon, “having lived in a secular habit till he was well advanced in years,...

Poetry on the Passing of the Poet’s Wife, Part II, by Peter Hartley

The Society
September 8, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
26 Comments
  No Longer There I wonder if a change has come about. No longer do I feel that she is there As physical a being in her chair To me as I to...

‘To a Prisoner of Conscience’ by Martin Rizley

The Society
September 7, 2020
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Human Rights in China, Poetry
8 Comments
In Response to an Article on the Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners in China I read the other day about the pain That you endure in some...

A Poem on Nancy Pelosi’s Maskless Salon Trip, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
September 6, 2020
Covid-19, Deconstructing Communism, Humor, Poetry
30 Comments
  A Cut Above Why shouldn’t Nancy break a lockdown rule To bless us with her chestnut-tress finesse? As Speaker of the House she’d look...

‘Vote Joe’ by Wortley Clutterbuck

The Society
September 6, 2020
Deconstructing Communism, Humor, Poetry, Readings
3 Comments
    There’s lots of riots in the street or so I’ve heard from someone’s tweet; they’re pulling out all of the...

‘Before the Plague’ by Daniel Kemper

The Society
September 5, 2020
Beauty, Covid-19, Culture, Poetry
17 Comments
  Before the plague I never knew my hands. The need to purify the human touch has turned my vision inward, but though much is taken; much...

‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game, 2020’ by Joe Tessitore

The Society
September 4, 2020
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Humor, Poetry
27 Comments
  I am a cardboard cutout. I sit here in the stands. I do not think. I do not blink. I do not clap my hands. You are a cardboard...
poem/james/beauty

A Cat Monologue by E.V. Wyler

The Society
September 3, 2020
Children's, Culture, Humor, Poetry
27 Comments
  'I Shall A Mighty Hunter Be!' “I shall a mighty hunter be, The King of Kills, by God’s decree! Savannahs always guarantee a vantage...

‘We Siblings Three’ and Other Poetry by Randal A. Burd, Jr.

The Society
September 2, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
17 Comments
  We Siblings Three Attempt to add the hours we have shared: One hundred thousand, maybe thousands more? Our paths conjoined for several...

‘Backyard Bliss’ and Other Poetry by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
September 1, 2020
Beauty, Poetry
36 Comments
  Backyard Bliss I hear hope’s song fill skies today __In trills beyond my door. Her citrus kiss burns through the grey __As martins dip...

The Society of Classical Poets 2021 Poetry Competition

The Society
September 1, 2020
From the Society, Poetry, Poetry Contests
11 Comments
Winners Have Been Announced Here. "Poetry ... is a more philosophical and a higher thing than history: for poetry tends to express the universal,...

2021 High School Poetry Competition

The Society
September 1, 2020
From the Society, High School Submissions, Poetry, Poetry Contests
1 Comment
  "Poetry ... is a more philosophical and a higher thing than history: for poetry tends to express the universal, history the particular."...

2021 Poetry Translation Competition

The Society
September 1, 2020
From the Society, Poetry, Poetry Contests, Translation
2 Comments
"Poetry ... is a more philosophical and a higher thing than history: for poetry tends to express the universal, history the particular."...

‘My Sickness Is a Mistress’ by Kevin Blankinship

The Society
August 31, 2020
Covid-19, Culture, Poetry
5 Comments
  I made her a bed with cushions and throws but she refused and slept in my bones. My skin, too tight for both my sighs and hers so she...

Three Poems on Drinking, by C.B. Anderson

The Society
August 30, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry
13 Comments
  The Angels’ Share Oh many a peer of England brews Livelier liquor than the Muse, And malt does more than Milton can To justify God’s...

‘Barnes’ Owl in the Snow’ by William Glyn-Jones

The Society
August 29, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
5 Comments
rhymes written after reading Simon Barnes’ blog post "Barn Owl in the Snow" Across the marsh, white passing over white, The silent hunter flies...

‘The Wolves and the Sheep’ by Terry L. Norton

The Society
August 28, 2020
Children's, Culture, Poetry
32 Comments
adapted from Babrius, first century A.D., and Jean de La Fontaine, 1621-1695 __At least twelve thousand years (though likely more) Between the...

A Poem on the Oxford English Dictionary, by Maurice J. O’Sullivan

The Society
August 27, 2020
Culture, Humor, Poetry
9 Comments
  Editing with the OED for Rita Bornstein __Like a mental abattoir, the OED, With brumous exactitude, looms over me As my blue pen prunes...
poem/freeman/limericks

Rhyme and Reason: Four Poems by James A. Tweedie

The Society
August 26, 2020
Culture, Humor, Poetry
36 Comments
  Abracadabra The written word is magical And not just something clerical. You scratch some marks into the sand; I see the marks and...
song/eardley/St. Patrick's Day

‘Corofin Dreaming’ by David Watt

The Society
August 25, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
11 Comments
  The potato blight and resultant Great Famine struck Ireland from 1845 to 1851. Potato crops didn’t recover until 1852, by which time at...

‘In Memory of My Grandmother’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
August 24, 2020
Beauty, Poetry
35 Comments
  Doris Evelyn Alice Falconer, born April 9, 1922, died August 24, 2004 You taught me the importance of good humour, the gravity of truth and...

‘The Falcon’: A Poem After Blake’s ‘Tyger,’ by Cynthia Erlandson

The Society
August 24, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
9 Comments
  The Falcon “In what distant deeps or skies Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand dare sieze the...

‘Angel Ship’ by C. David Hay

The Society
August 23, 2020
Beauty, Poetry
14 Comments
  Oh, to helm an angel ship __Adrift in a billowy sea With a specter crew in a sky of blue, __Just the vast beyond and me. Flying the...

The Rebirth of Epic: A Review of James Sale’s HellWard

The Society
August 22, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Epic, Essays, Poetry, Reviews
31 Comments
by Andrew Benson Brown James Sale’s HellWard is the first volume of a planned trilogy entitled The English Cantos. If the quality of the current...

‘Those Unknown’ by Camille Cechini

The Society
August 21, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Villanelle
15 Comments
  a villanelle My heart goes out to those unknown, Whose life by Time’s cruel hand erased, Their ravaged, riven, nameless...

A Poem on Judgment Day and Other Poetry by Leo Zoutewelle

The Society
August 20, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Poetry
16 Comments
  Ab Initio Mundi* *ever since the beginning of the world At first the darkness reigned o’er all that was, Until a little point of light...

‘The Bell Now Tolls’ by Martin Rizley

The Society
August 19, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
24 Comments
  in memory of my father-in-law, Pietro Lorefice (1938-2020) The bell now tolls, dear Pietro, for this hour When we must bid your faithful...
Poem Rhet Butler

‘Hollywood Interview’ by David Whippman

The Society
August 18, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry
20 Comments
  My marriage failed (they always do.) Emotionally unequipped To work things out without a script, We didn’t try to talk it...

‘Uncle Joe and the Virtual Convention’ by Jeff Kemper

The Society
August 17, 2020
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Humor, Poetry
13 Comments
  When the wokest of folk virtually convoke In a year of elections and riots and fear, Uncle Joe from the basement the Nanny will...
Fishing in boat on ocean

‘Upon a Boat, by Ocean Bound’ by Alec Ream

The Society
August 17, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Ekphrastic, Poetry
4 Comments
. Upon a boat, by ocean bound, Below the sun, upon the sound, The bait, a line, a reel, a fish: Bound for butter, herbs and dish. . . Alec...

A Satire on Joe Biden Picking Kamala Harris, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

The Society
August 16, 2020
Culture, Humor, Poetry
24 Comments
  Madcapfesto We’ll unlock prison gates and let the inmates saunter out. We’ll tear down wall and rule; we’ll sponsor every lug and...

Understanding Bad Poetry: The Verse of William Topaz McGonagall

The Society
August 16, 2020
Culture, Essays, Humor, Poetry
27 Comments
by Joseph S. Salemi The poetic effusions of some people are so incompetent that they cross the line into unexpected humor, and thereby become...

‘We Came Together With An Open Mind’ by James Allan Kennedy

The Society
August 15, 2020
Poetry, Villanelle
17 Comments
a villanelle We came together with an open mind No crass intolerance or blinkered view Is it too much to ask us to be kind? The streets in...

The 17 Best Haiku of 2020

The Society
August 15, 2020
Beauty, Best Poems, Culture, From the Society, Haiku and Senryu, Poetry, Poetry Contests
8 Comments
Winner and Runners-up of The Society of Classical Poets 2020 Haiku Competition Judged by Mike Bryant and Susan Jarvis Bryant See all entrants...

‘A Ditty’ and Other Poetry by Joe Tessitore

The Society
August 14, 2020
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Poetry
18 Comments
  A Ditty What happened to the human race? It vanished, friend, without a trace. And what, pray tell, of humankind? You may well seek, but...

‘Hong Kong’s Freedom Fighters’ by Douglas J. Lanzo

The Society
August 13, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Human Rights in China, Poetry
5 Comments
  dedicated to all those braving injustice in Hong Kong with nobility of spirit Muffled voices, anguished cries, Trampled freedom, published...
Sgt James J Regan

On a Photo of Sgt. James J. Regan’s Grieving Fiancee, and Other Poetry by Rod Walford

The Society
August 12, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry
16 Comments
  Hero of Her Heart On February 9, 2007 Sgt. James J. Regan of the 3rd Battalion 75th U.S. Ranger Regiment was killed on active service in...

‘Defy the Mask’ by David Watt

The Society
August 11, 2020
Culture, Deconstructing Communism, Poetry
9 Comments
  Due to a recent government edict, approximately 5 million Australians must wear masks whenever they leave the house. We wear a mask because...

‘Blake’s Prairie Fair’ by Bob Schildgen

The Society
August 10, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Poetry
4 Comments
  Cotton candy is, yes, is angel hair spun out while merry-go-rounds whirl full-speed with satisfaction fully guaranteed in the local...
  1. 82
  2. 83
  3. 84
  4. 85
  5. 86
  6. 87
  7. 88
  1. Paul A. Freeman on ‘The Hokey-Cokey—Chaucer Style’: A Poem by Paul A. FreemanJuly 17, 2025

    Hokey-Pokey in Arizona, 2025: https://www.facebook.com/reel/585652151289072/ Thanks for commenting, C.B.

  2. Paul A. Freeman on ‘The Hokey-Cokey—Chaucer Style’: A Poem by Paul A. FreemanJuly 17, 2025

    A Monty Python script! There can be few greater compliments. Thanks for reading and commenting, James.

  3. Michael Pendragon on ‘Unspoken Moments’: A Poem by Michael PendragonJuly 17, 2025

    Thanks so much, Cheryl. Sadly Romantics Quarterly is a thing of the past. Editor/Publisher Kevin N. Roberts passed away in…

  4. James A. Tweedie on ‘Of a Feather’ and Other Poems by C.B. AndersonJuly 17, 2025

    C.B. Beyond the content-commentary contained in each of these three delightfully entertaining poems, your clever, self-distinctive enjambments are neatly described…

  5. James A. Tweedie on ‘The Harvest’: A Poem by Peter VenableJuly 17, 2025

    Peter, your words have encouraged me after having just received disheartening news that will take much prayerful effort to redress.…

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Daily Poems

Subscribe to receive updates in your email inbox

poetry/benson brown/reading

Categories

  • Acrostic
  • Alexandroid
  • Alliterative
  • Art
  • Beauty
  • Best Poems
  • Blank Verse
  • Chant Royal
  • Chaucer
  • Children's
  • Classical Poets Live
  • Clerihew
  • Covid-19
  • Culture
  • Dante
  • Deconstructing Communism
  • Education
  • Ekphrastic
  • Epic
  • Epigrams and Proverbs
  • Essays
  • Featured
  • Found Poem
  • From the Society
  • Haiku and Senryu
  • High School Submissions
  • Homer
  • Human Rights in China
  • Humor
  • Interviews
  • Limerick
  • Love Poems
  • Music
  • Pantoum
  • Performing Arts
  • Poetry
  • Poetry Challenge
  • Poetry Contests
  • Poetry Forms
  • Popular Poetry Archives
  • Readings
  • Reviews
  • Rhupunt
  • Riddles
  • Rondeau
  • Rondeau Redoublé
  • Rondel
  • Rubaiyat
  • Sapphic Verse
  • Satire
  • Science
  • Sestina
  • Shakespeare
  • Shape Poems
  • Short Stories
  • Song Lyrics
  • Symposium
  • Terrorism
  • Terza Rima
  • The Environment
  • The Raven
  • Translation
  • Triolet
  • Video
  • Villanelle

Poetry Archive

  • July 2025
  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • Poetry Resources
  • Poetry Readings
  • High School Poetry
  • Translation
  • Poetry Contests
  • Poetry Forms
  • From the Society
  • Poetry Archive
  • Education
  • Humor
  • Reviews
  • About Us
  • The Raven
  • Riddles
  • Journal
  • Members
  • Terms of Use
  • The Society of Classical Poets © 2024