• Submit Poetry
  • Support SCP
  • About Us
  • Members
  • Join
Friday, January 9, 2026
Society of Classical Poets
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
Society of Classical Poets
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
Society of Classical Poets
No Result
View All Result
Home Poetry Beauty

‘Irrelevant’ and Other Poetry by Joe Tessitore

October 2, 2019
in Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry
A A
10
poems 'Irrelevant' and Other Poetry by Joe Tessitore

 

Irrelevant

If the room
is the tomb
then the elephant
is irrelevant.

 

Haiku

From my heart was shown
how very much I loved her—
could she not have known?

 

I have found my voice.
I do not rejoice—I fear
I have lost your ear.

 

Haiku remind me
of tasty little morsels—
popcorn poetry.

 

 

Joe Tessitore is a retired New York City resident and poet.

 

 

ShareTweetPin
The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.
Read Our Comments Policy Here
Next Post
A Cento from the Political Poetry of Presidents Lincoln, Taylor, and Taft by Beverly Stock

A Cento from the Political Poetry of Presidents Lincoln, Taylor, and Taft by Beverly Stock

A Translation from Goethe’s Roman Elegies V

A Translation from Goethe’s Roman Elegies V

‘The Human Skylight’ by Satyananda Sarangi

'The Human Skylight' by Satyananda Sarangi

Comments 10

  1. Joe Tessitore says:
    6 years ago

    We fight this cold, uncivil war.
    Whatever for? Whatever for?

    An elephant has indeed entered the room since I submitted these, and to talk about anything else but impeachment seems to me to be truly foolish.

    I wonder if any of you are as angry and as heartbroken about it as I am, and if any of you believe that there’s light at the end of this tunnel we now find ourselves in?

    Reply
  2. Anna J. Arredondo says:
    6 years ago

    Joe,

    This is the light-hearted (I hope not entirely foolish) response to your post that popped into my head before reading your own very sober comment.
    Regarding “Irrelevant”: true indeed. But —

    If the setting
    Were a wedding,
    The pachyderm
    Might make you squirm.

    Reply
    • Joe Tessitore says:
      6 years ago

      Nothing wrong with a good laugh!

      Reply
  3. David Paul Behrens says:
    6 years ago

    The elephant calls out:
    Here I am! I matter!
    As he goes balls out
    In eloquent chatter.

    Reply
    • C.B. Anderson says:
      6 years ago

      David, do you mean “bawls” out?

      Reply
      • Joe Tessitore says:
        6 years ago

        Interesting both ways – good that you asked!

        Reply
      • David Paul Behrens says:
        6 years ago

        “Going balls out” is a slang term with much the same meaning as “going all out” or “to the fullest extent.” I was referring to the sound an elephant makes.

        Reply
      • David Paul Behrens says:
        6 years ago

        Example: The jockey went balls out going down the home stretch. He gave it everything he had.

        Reply
  4. C.B. Anderson says:
    6 years ago

    Joe, you owe a debt to Ogden Nash. He wrote a bit of light verse in which he rhymed “elephant” with “irrelevant.” If I’m not mistaken, in that same poem he rhymed “rhinoceros” with “preposterous.””

    Reply
    • Joe Tessitore says:
      6 years ago

      I wish I would’ve thought of that last one.
      I once thought I came up with “Can butter fly?” and a fourteen-year-old told me “Not so much.”

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Tom Riley on Two Sonnets by Nino Martoglio, Translated by Joseph S. SalemiJanuary 9, 2026

    Enjoyed the sonnets — and profited from the notes. I like to see the decisions made by a translator, especially…

  2. Alec Ream on ‘The Sun’ and Other Poetry by Alec ReamJanuary 9, 2026

    Thanks, James - terse is a high compliment. Savory's likely the most deserving, but under rated compliment in terms of…

  3. Joseph S. Salemi on Two Sonnets by Nino Martoglio, Translated by Joseph S. SalemiJanuary 9, 2026

    Adam, thank you for this enthusiastic comment. Yes, the prejudice against any "dialects" in Italy was great after the nation's…

  4. C.B. Anderson on ‘Art and Nature’ and Other Poetry by C.B. AndersonJanuary 9, 2026

    Sometimes, Paul, I feel as though I write with my tongue in my ear. That's hard to do. It's a…

  5. Adam Sedia on ‘Legacy of Light’: A Poem by Martin BriggsJanuary 9, 2026

    I love both the metaphor and the message of this poem. Your stars are not those of mythology, but of…

Receive Poems in Your Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,620 other subscribers
Facebook Twitter Youtube

Recent Poems

  • ‘The Measure of a Woman (or a Man)’ and Other Poetry by Paul A. Freeman
  • ‘Encounter with My Dead Father’: A Poem by Scharlie Meeuws
  • Two Sonnets by Nino Martoglio, Translated by Joseph S. Salemi
  • ‘Wall of Ice’ and Other Poetry by James Bontrager
  • ‘King of Poets’: A Poem by Margaret Coats
  • ‘Watercolors’: A Poem by Susan Steele Rives
  • ‘Art and Nature’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson
  • ‘Star of Wonder’: A Poem by James A. Tweedie
  • ‘Yeonmi Park’s Advice to Americans’: A Poem by Warren Bonham
  • ‘Caravaggio’: A Poem by Lisa J. Roberts
  • ‘Refrigerator Bird’ and Other Poetry by Armaan Fatteh-Patil
  • ‘The Oak Trees’: A Poem by Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano
  • ‘A Cardinal on a Snowy Day’: A Poem by Rob Fried
  • Poets Susan Jarvis Bryant and James Sale Respond to Mamdani’s Swearing In as NYC Mayor
  • ‘Single Room Cigarette, 17th Floor Yale Club of Manhattan’: A Poem by Alec Ream
  • ‘Legacy of Light’: A Poem by Martin Briggs
  • ‘The Swarm’ and Other Poetry by Cheryl Corey
  • ‘Lament of a Poet Falsely Accused of Using AI’ and Other Poetry by Paul Buchheit
  • ‘A Gift from the South’: A Poem by Julian Woodruff
  • ‘New Year’s Peeve’: A Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant
  • ‘Homage to Brigitte Bardot’: A Poem by Joseph S. Salemi
  • ‘Dearth of Emotional Intelligence’ and Other Poems by Russel Winick
  • ‘Fireflies’: A Poem by Mark Stellinga
  • ‘Real Poetry’: A Poem by Eric v.d. Luft
  • ‘Flaws’: A Poem by Joshua Thomas
  • Two Final Poems by Sally Cook
  • ‘Twelve Labors More, Part I’: A Poem by Evan Mantyk
  • ‘A Perfect Match is Found’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson
  • ‘The Seven Crossings’: A Poem by Ulysses Arlen
  • ‘An Open Book’ and Other Poetry by David McMahon

Categories

  • Acrostic
  • Alexandroid
  • Alliterative
  • Art
  • Best Poems
  • Blank Verse
  • Chant Royal
  • Classical Poets Live
  • Clerihew
  • Covid-19
  • Deconstructing Communism
  • Educational
  • Epic
  • Epigrams and Proverbs
  • Essays
    • Interviews with Poets
    • Poetry Reviews
  • Featured
  • From the Society
  • Great Poets
    • Dante Alighieri
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Homer
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Robert Frost
    • William Blake
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
  • Human Rights in China
  • Limerick
  • Love Poems
  • Music
  • Pantoum
  • Performing Arts
  • Poetry
    • Beauty
    • Children's Poems
    • Culture
    • Ekphrastic
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Humor
    • Riddles
  • Poetry Challenge
  • Poetry Contests
  • Poetry Forms
    • Haiku
  • Poetry Readings
  • Rhupunt
  • Rondeau
  • Rondeau Redoublé
  • Rondel
  • Rubaiyat
  • Sapphic Verse
  • Satire
  • Science
  • Sestina
  • Shape Poems
  • Short Stories
  • Song Lyrics
  • Sonnet
  • Symposium
  • Terrorism
  • Terza Rima
  • The Environment
  • Translation
  • Triolet
  • Video
  • Villanelle

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Submit Poetry
  • Become a Member
  • Members List
  • Support the Society
  • Advertisement Placement
  • Comments Policy
  • Terms of Use

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books

© 2025 SCP. WebDesign by CODEC Prime.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.