A Poem for Helen Vendler (1933-2024): ‘Valediction for a Critic’ by Margaret Coats
. Valediction for a Critic "She can second-guess the sixth sense of a poem." —Seamus Heaney "I thought—and still think—that...
Read moreDetails. Valediction for a Critic "She can second-guess the sixth sense of a poem." —Seamus Heaney "I thought—and still think—that...
Read moreDetails. Light Wave Heatwave When the temperature rises, a worker despises __The withering glare of the sun. When the sweat’s...
Read moreDetails. Kristallnacht---The Night of Broken Glass I tell my son he must not make a sound. I whisper, “Karl, this...
Read moreDetails. To September Your fields and groves are lushly emerald still; Your flowers still waft their scents and vaunt their...
Read moreDetails. Let’s Laugh at Leftists with a nod to Joseph S. Salemi Step right up and see the freaks, Who...
Read moreDetails. Catullus XI Furius and Aurelius, my two friends, Whether I go to farthest India, The shore by ever-pounding Eastern...
Read moreDetails. When Your Foe Is Perilously Strong When your foe is perilously strong It mightn’t be too preposterous or wrong To let...
Read moreDetails. Solitaire A fresh tableau gives hope of gaining traction In the builds. Shortly, though, you see you’re beat. It’s...
Read moreDetails. There Are Masters and Then There Are Masters The moth’s desire for muzziness of moon Looms large in some...
Read moreDetails. Over the Hill Now that you’re "over the hill," Relax. Enjoy the view. Life’s a beach, so chill. Work?...
Read moreDetails. Flora's England The hedgerows droop with bulbous berries black As feathers of the Raven in the sun Of August,...
Read moreDetails. A Prayer in Three Quatrains Too well I know, I am a son of error; Too well I know...
Read moreDetails. The Traveler I walked along a dusty road, The night was long and cruel and cold. When suddenly upon...
Read moreDetails. Common Brief I watch the leaves awaken in the wood behind our home, as daybreak crawls along the trees,...
Read moreDetails. An Awkward Endorsement on Putin's recent endorsement of Kamala Harris for president There's no disputing, Putin's put the boot...
Read moreDetails. Crystal Spires or Lake of Fire? The day shall come. For some, just like a thief That sneaks unknown....
Read moreDetails. Nehemiah Questions Robert Frost About Walls “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall.” ---Robert Frost, “Mending Wall” “Jerusalem...
Read moreDetails. I Have Waited for September I have waited for September When the stars shine silver white; When the sun...
Read moreDetails. Empty Words There was a time not long agoWhen insults led to deadly duels.Today, on streaming videoI saw men...
Read moreDetails. Cicada Serenade Boys hang their beat on the heat of the summer. Sticky days twang with their thick, tinny...
Read moreDetails. Supply and Demand Infinite happiness isn’t available. Something so precious just isn’t that scalable. Boundless dismay, though, is much...
Read moreDetails. Where Virtue Dies In the city of Washington, where virtue dies in the immoral sewage as it putrefies, those...
Read moreDetails. Dante in Modern Times If I were Dante, and the quest were mine To reprise chapters of his Comedie...
Read moreDetails. Recipe for a Poem Scraped clean of glib and warty observation, On pristine paper place one piercing thought. Add...
Read moreDetails. Coupled in Rhyme She sees me better than I do, so in her sight I strive to be worthy...
Read moreDetails. The High Priest's Homily Once Man, in thrall to ignorance, believed the world was round, But now we know...
Read moreDetails. Clouds Over Skye Vast mounting clouds rise over peak and vale; Their shifting billows filter noonday´s beams, Which pierce...
Read moreDetails. Circling In It’s time (I tell myself) we circled in;Gave up at last the overwrought concernThat pulls us this-way-that...
Read moreDetails. For All Who Labor by Christine de Pisan (1364-c. 1430) Lady, fair branch where God’s grace blooms,Our labors, Saint...
Read moreDetails. Garden Party The sparrows near the feeder flit and preen While predators politely quit the scene. A mockingbird is...
Read moreDetails. Married to the Mob He’s going out again today. What for? His hundredth chance to settle some old score?...
Read moreDetails. Wisdom of Reagan: Government Waste “Government is like a baby: with a big appetite at one end and no...
Read moreDetails. "Thou, in our wonder and astonishment, Hast built thyself a livelong monument." ---John Milton, "On Shakespeare" First Prize: $2,000....
Read moreDetails. “Thou, in our wonder and astonishment, Hast built thyself a livelong monument.” —John Milton, “On Shakespeare” First Prize: $200....
Read moreDetails. Observation ____Comes morning, __And fog fills the forest Where bluebirds are wet on the wings. ____The toadstools __Are soaking...
Read moreDetails. Ode to the Zeer Across the Sahel states, the humble zeer, A pear-shaped or full-bellied earthen pot Strains muddy...
Read moreDetails. Autumn Fades The orange leaves decay to crinkling gray, And sunsets sink and fade the clouds to black. “You’ll...
Read moreDetails. Oversimplification What so many people tend to say or write, Reduces complex issues of today, To merely simple packages...
Read moreDetails. The First Fallen Leaf A single leaf begins to fall. He wants to be the first of all. His...
Read moreDetails. Hard To Tell With attributes that only those who know him understand, A countenance deceptive, and a being hard...
Read moreDetailsI don't find any confusion or unclarity here. For me, this piece is about the sometimes fugitive distinction between the…
Sorry for the double post. The first one got, er, lost in the cloud!
A charming, and yes, classical, children's book in verse. I want to read it in book form myself before I…
Thank you so much, Mary Jane, for special attention to the canzone form. You've discovered, in this example, its major…
Margaret, the poem subtly points out that seemingly clear images (such as the shadow of hills on a wall) in…
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