Poetry

. Failure to Strive Do, or do not.  There is no try. —Master Yoda We’ve traveled far, or so it seems to those Of us who shy from setting distant goals Requiring passage through unending rows Of thornhedge in a maze that tries our souls. We make what’s easy look...

. Elemental, My Dear Slight air and purging fire, the first my thought, the other my desire. ---Shakespeare, "Sonnet 45" I am of air and fire wrought, though I am drawn to water like a dowsing rod. Carousing through thought’s realm, I am a fly, zigzagging near and far to...

. Passer Mortuus Est, from Carmen 3 by Catullus (84-54 B.C.)| Translated from Latin by R.W. Rhodes My baby's favored fledgling dropped and died,and caused us both to weep; and when we cried,each Venus and those naked putti pouted.The passing sparrow that had lately spoutedthrobbing songs that came and made...

. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCmLSOndstY . CREDITSPoetry: Robert FrostAudio/Visual Work: Society of Classical PoetsVoice-Over: S.A. ToddPhoto: "Yellow Forest" by Eflon (used under creative Commons License CC BY 2.0); photo of Albert Bierstadt's painting "A Rest on the Ride" (public domain)Music: (1) "Just Chill" by Ahjay Stelino (Mixkit Free License); (2) excerpt from Mozart's...

. The Biden Oil Refrain As President, on his first day, He closed old Keystone down, Then shut off Arctic drilling, Forty-thousand jobs left town. He cancelled key oil leases, Barred new highly needed ones, And then was shocked gas prices saw Inflationary runs. “C’mon man” he begged OPEC, “Please...

. The Gusting Winds The gusting winds, they blow, it seems, more bleakly this December; They bite my cheeks and chill my bones and freeze my aging flesh. As I ascend this windblown hill at sunset, I remember The former days, when springtime’s breezes wafted warm and fresh. How brightly...

100 Days of Dante Poetry Contest Sponsored by the Calvin Center for Faith & Writing with the Society of Classical Poets . . Introduction 100 Days of Dante is a collaborative resource aimed at educating readers and forming new readers of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Through videos that explore its literary,...

. A Shot in the Dark   "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help. " ---Ronald Reagan The experts push experimental science, Big Pharma claims to stave off all that ails While arms are bared in silence and compliance As leaders swear their healthcare never fails. And so we tread...

. The lights went off, for long enough, And in the darkness things got rough, All four quarters gushing red— Some bloody politician's dead, We liked him once, yes, very much, And wanted to have four of such But once the pill he pushed wore off And life collapsed… well,...

. Listening to Bach While the World Falls Apart for Adrianna, Paul, and Beth I Sight isn’t needed---the continuous cracking of all The pillars supporting civilization, is audible. Thunderous crumbling of longstanding structures we thought indestructible Pierces our ears with the harsh horror of sordid disorder: Disquieting societal fortissimos, Scored...

. Where Is God? Along life’s way Problems arise. Some seen before--- Some do surprise. “Why Lord, to me Comes now this pain? Let this cup pass--- Be gone life’s rain!” “What purpose true These hills to climb? What lessons here--- What bells will chime?” Come then our friends To...

. Ruby’s House to the memory of Ruby Elaine Seal Rizley (1896-1978) You knew it when you woke up in the morning and you heard The sound of pigeons cooing just outside the windowpane, And opening your eyes, your childish heart was freshly stirred To see that fading wallpaper around...

. On Mark Twain's Birthday He piloted a Mississippi steamboat, Then panned for gold and sailed around the world. He authored tales of rogues and slavery’s stain But now is damned for all the things he wrote. Because the charge of “racist” has been hurled, The woke think we should...

. A Silenced Voice Cried Out  dedicated to Peng Shuai A voice cried out decrying her assault, Courageously to light the way for truth Against one high up preying on her youth— A Vice Premier accused of this grave fault. Unlocking secrets stored within a vault That no one else...

. Allentown Nights Sometimes the nights were full of evil there. Relentless searchers drove the block most nights, While novices in bushes would prepare As Lady Scarface told them of their rights— Just how to rob with sharpened rattail combs, And countless other petty cruelties— Demanding money, breaking into homes....

. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxBbaZHU3qk . Audio/Visual Work: Society of Classical Poets Voice-Over: Evan Mantyk Photo: Hans Permana, “Meal time!” (used under creative Commons License CC BY-NC 2.0) Olympic Mascot image: Used under Fair Use provisions of U.S. Law (Title 17 U.S. Code § 107 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use), for...

. CDC: Urgent Directive Dillard “Sparky” Barker Is a Doc at CDC. It seems he’s done a study That is sad for you and me. “Accidental deaths are At an all-time scary high. And just because we care We had to find the reason why. If you’ve had the jab...

. Four Thousand Four Hundred  Miles The shiny willows waved in yellow bloom Inland beyond the spit of dirty sand Where you and I stood, wishing we could zoom Due east and pace that other treasured land Across the broad Atlantic where the trees Were lemons and their blossoms’ scent...

. Many years ago I gave a talk at a scholarly conference at Queens College, C.U.N.Y. My section of the conference was dedicated to contemporary translation, and the bulk of the papers presented were deadly dull rehashes of critical theory (as is usually the case at academic events of this...

. Guilty Thoughts I Through idle thoughts alone if no-one knows, We cannot hurt someone who never will Find out. No victim: none could ever spill The beans. Can we do any harm to those Among our foes we would not if we chose? Then who so harsh to charge us? Who...

. My Raven My Raven is a different bird. I guess he learned a different word Than Poe’s that uttered “Nevermore.” My Raven tells me, “Furthermore.” “Alright” I said “what do you want? Why did you choose my place to haunt? Why are you sitting at my door?” My Raven...

. A Song of Thanksgiving The pilgrims long ago faced strong __Attacks on their beliefs, And found a land they could command __Where faith would find relief. They journeyed long but still faced strong __Attacks by Winter frost, And lived to see quite happily __In Spring not all was lost....

. Honest to God a rondeau I do not know why Sarah died; I only know her parents cried Such tears as only parents shed When infant children die in bed— A grief they did not try to hide. At birth a tumor deep inside Her brain was found and...

. Permanent Power Plan Scene: While Joe Biden is taking notes, the Statue of Liberty appears and gives him ideas. STATUE OF LIBERTYGive me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free… BIDENBid them leave to reach our Southern border.Come one, come all, per Presidential order. STATUE OF LIBERTYThe wretched...

. Making Asses A meditation on pop star Demi Lovato’s expounding on her newfound sexuality in an interview on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast (28 March 2021). Are pop stars making asses of themselvesBy flitting all about like little elves,Elucidating little nothings likeA youngster on a Santa-given bikeEnjoying being free...

. First and Foremost We’re human first and foremost: kith and kin. So never judge on looks and looks alone. We’re made of more than just our shade of skin. We’re flesh and blood. We’re brothers to the bone – Yes brothers, as in fellow human souls. Our gender is...

. Three Perspectives from Samos Poet’s note:  The Greek island of Samos, in the region of Ionia, was the reputed birthplace of the goddess Hera, and the scene of her marriage to Zeus.  It was also the birthplace of the philosophers Pythagoras and Epicurus, and it boasted a sibyl.  Sibyls...

. Reality—Plan B If you don’t like the world the way it is, And think that “he” should be the same as “she,” And “hers” be interchangeable with “his,” Then come up with a new philosophy. Embrace alternative reality Where “all of the above” is just as right And true...

. A Knot of Ought Nots A bright blue canoe atop of Mount Crumble, canoes can be tippy; down it might tumble —ought not to be there! The cat in galoshes and plaid underwear eating fish tacos in Dad’s swivel chair —ought not to be there. The Belle of the...

. Don’t Tread on Me For Kyle Rittenhouse, acquitted on November 19, the feast day of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, patroness of the falsely accused. Two enemies you faced down in a fight: Canaille of leftist pigs for revolution Who sought to kill you on that fatal night, And then...

. Circles It seems to me that living comes in circles, That nothing, even this, is ever new, That all that we create is a stale rhyme, A now that cannot cover marks of then. It seems to me that every extant thought Comes back again, as sure as fall...

. Who’s the Villain Now? My poems drip with vitriol and gall,Each stanza driving home a heartfelt curse—A side-effect of drinking alcohol Incessantly.  I lack the wherewithalTo temper my intemperate temper; worse,My poems drip with vitriol and gall Since I’ve become an angry man in thrallTo stiffer drinks and grudges...

. The sunlight is raising A glow from the east For dawn-dappled grazing By somnolent beasts; The flight of a parrot To glistening seeds; And down from her garret, With predatory needs, Arrives a brown kestrel Inspecting the ground For creatures too restful To notice the sound Of air against...

. On the Question of Enes Kanter How do heroes take a stand above the skyline? How face off sharp machinery that spades the earth, Converting humans into demons by the roots— Machines that grind distinctive features off a face To turn men to a twitch of its assembly line,...

. I. The Blacksmith God Forges Scenes on Achilles’ Shield after Homer’s Iliad Book 18 The hammer strikes! And glowing sparks fly out As Earth takes shape and then the flowing seas, The sun, the moon, the wondrous Pleiades And all the constellations round about. The hammer strikes! And now...

. One Miracle After Another A misty morning greeted by the sun Whose dappled rays arouse the drowsing Earth; The grandeur in the web a spider’s spun; A mother’s tearful joy for a safe birth; The giddy pride a groom feels in his bride. Companionship lent by a loyal friend;...

. Old? Hell No! in a thick British accent __It's bin three years an’ a day, __Since the Mrs. passed away, I still see ‘er face afore me smilin’ kindly. __For a while I wasn’t right, __I’d awake most every night, From a dream where I was searchin’ for ‘er...

. We went to a gender reveal. And we had an exceptional meal. __But the host was forlorn __when she unhusked her corn. It was pink instead of blue-teal. Her emotions were on full display. They should have been tucked far away, __entrenched in her chest __or deep in her...

. Below is an excerpt from a Crisis Magazine article "Reading Poetry Will Save the World" by Auguste Meyrat, published November 13, 2021. (The article was passed to me by poet Joe Tessitore.) . For those who missed it, October 17th was National Black Poetry Day It would be easy enough...

. Racial Idiocy My son was on a city team,__Where two kids caught my eye:Stefon---warm and articulate,__And Marcus---risk deemed high. I thought that I’d invite them to__My law firm for a day,And offer---if they seemed intrigued---__Fine summer jobs, good pay. But then another player’s dad__Who I thought was a friend,Soon...