Poetry

. You are invited to a reading of exquisite poetry and conversations with the poets. This reading is part of a quarterly series of online poetry readings planned for 2021-2022. . Date & Time Sunday December 12, 2021 2 p.m. (New York time), 7 p.m. (U.K. time) Duration: 1 hour...

. Nature's War From far beneath the frozen soil the iris pushes high,Extending wide it reaches up to touch the sun and sky. Yet in the greening of the grass, the snows of winter stayas northern winds descend again to keep the spring away. The winds remain and daily howl but spring...

. . The Hireling Shepherd painting by William Holman Hunt This comely wench was Emma Watkins, she Who sat for Hunt in eighteen fifty-two. Too unaffected she, she never knew What lay beyond the brink, beyond the lee Of innocence. Nor could she ever see The fame at second hand...

. At the COP26 We all have piled up at the COP,For in a day the World may stop!No really, that’s what voters sayAnd that’s enough, so I’m here today. We must turn up or all goes pop—And yet I find my eyelids drop… Out in the cold, young Thunberg...

. Today I feel the stirrings of the Dead In crimson-littered fields where poppies blow. I hear embittered groans and gasps of dread From churning earth neath crosses row on row. Today our freedoms fade along with sense As blinded minds grow ripe to twist and turn. Now glib and...

. From a Classified Location in England Dear Jim---my son---I write from far away. From England, Spring of 1944. June first! That means you’re six years old today! So happy birthday, son! And many more!Please know my heart is with you on this day---You and your mother---as I fight this...

. Colours of War What colour was the war to end all wars?We’ve watched as men, in grainy black and white,go o’er the top to face the chomping jawsof curtain fire and shrapnel’s iron bite.And when the muted thud of gas shells came,the battleground transformed into a fieldof jaundiced mustard,...

. The Soldier Keeps the Wolf at Bay The soldier keeps the wolf at bay So we may never see it. That is why the young today Simply don’t believe it. You say “We see no wolf out there? So why should we believe you?” The wolf is hiding in...

. For Better or for Worse? Poetic genius, swallowed from a bottle; Ingested from an opiate-filled pipe; Imagination speeding at full-throttle; A pleasure-domed Romantic archetype. No LSD or fentanyl required; No Kona Gold, Red Bull, or crack cocaine. As Byron said, “Whenever I was tired Laudanum, beer and wine removed...

. Biden Has an Accident at the Vatican Ubi Petrus, ibi Ecclesia: Where Peter is, there is the Church. Ubi Bergoglius, ibi merda: Where Bergoglio is, there is excrement. I came to see the Pontiff. He is a head of state. The Vatican is tiny but it has a lot...

. Imperial Invitation Fair neighbor, come, pass through entrancing gates I made to veil surprises and seclude My masterpiece of panoramic zest, Where autumns yet unreddened bear my mark. The servants disappear at my behest; Accept my personal solicitude: The nature of an emperor awaits. My simple first-built structure quells...

. Robert Jack Eardley was, for many years, Chief Psychiatrist for the U.S. Justice Department. In 2000, he organised a family gathering of thousands with our surname, in the small English town where the name originated. People came from as far away as China and New Zealand. Our home has...

. Bywords Language rang and wedged within our mind. Centuries of words were drawn like swords. A surfeit, rhymes, soliloquies entwined, As singers fingered perfectly rung chords. Linguals clang, the cymbals of the tongue. Vowels, our open mouths fling ahs with ease. Sibilance sees esses struck and sung. Tones lift...

. Hypnosis Come over here, then, and sit in this chair, Gaze at this candle-flame, empty your mind, No need to worry, no need to beware--- I am so patient, so caring and kind. Gaze at this candle-flame, empty your mind Watch the flame flicker entrancing your soul, I am...

Following the introduction below is a translated version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in PDF made free for download for teachers, students, and interested readers by the Society of Classical Poets. It can be purchased in book form on Amazon here. If you download, please consider making a...

. He was the stream and she the underbrush; The rain that fell upon his upturned face. She was the shadowed glade in evening's hush That memorized the sun, received its grace. She was the sea, and he the wavering shore; Sometimes she was a fragile bit of lace, He...

. Last Rites Let not the Rock of Ages ever break Or send apostate magi to the stake; A golden era favoring good men Will likely never come around again. This world, in winter, is a dreary place, Devoid of pleasure or enduring grace, But still we stagger toward that...

. When summer left and took her warming shawl, The birds towards the south began to fly. The leaves of wizened trees began to dye, As shorter days announced the hues of fall. In town, there is the snore of one at rest; His lawn, pristinely kept, begins to sleep....

. "Let's Go Brandon" People don’t want to say “F--k” When dealing with President Schmuck. So they say “Let’s go, Brandon” instead To a leader who’s nearly brain-dead. They know that the subject’s a moron More likely to doze off and snore on Than govern our fifty great states And...

. New Day for the Old Dominion "This is what unity looks like" —Glenn Youngkin, Virginia governor-elect Virginians venture toward a vivid day Of family life and work as each sees fit; Next year the cost of living spirals down, The prospects for creating wealth increase, The government goes back...

by Evan Mantyk A strange phenomenon in recent years, probably dating back to the mid 20th century and with roots in Whitman, is an aversion toward rhyme and meter in poetry among poetry establishments purporting to promote poetry and award good poetry.  It has now gotten to the point where...

. A fabled place adrift in history Which makes the spirit ache for what was lost; A masterpiece destroyed in mystery Then resurrected at a crippling cost; A priceless room of amber! A caprice Of luxe and lavish rococo design--- Of shining tiles rich in royal lore Which speak of...

. When I crave from my enclave something to eat (Not apples or peas or muffins or meat) I steady my stare at my pantry’s archive And spot a great lot that’ll keep me alive. In my haste for a taste of the finest cuisine I select my elected morsel...

. Autumn in Vermont October’s maples blaze a way __around a tall church steeple and sugar maples have their say __by raining gold on people. Such leafy vibrance begs to call __all those who wish to see, the winded leaves like waterfalls __that flow so splendidly. Those colored vistas from...

. translated from Russian by Sasha A. Palmer . Prayer God above, King divine! Heal this spirit of mine! Earthly lies drive away Lest they lead me astray— And for Thy heav'nly toll Please give strength to my soul! . . Hopelessness A zeal for happiness by gods was given to...

. . A Vagabond Song by Bliss Carman (1861-1929) There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood -- Touch of manner, hint of mood; And my heart is like a rhyme, With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time. The scarlet of the...

. The cats are creatures of a liberal kind, For on the laps of commie artists, you’ll find Them. Coffee too you’ll find in their domain, Not to drink so much as to maintain Their fashion, always looking lovely, cool, And to that end they will use any tool. On...

. Approaching Halloween “You live in the same kind of grayness as the filthy stuff that formed you.” —Jack Finney, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers They’re here! like werewolves roaming round our urban neighborhoods,attacking godly individuals and looting goods,not trick-or-treating, only feeding in a frenzied mode,vampires on the prowl...

. BOO! I feel a fleshless presence: A faceless, soulless call To tomb-doom acquiescence Beyond a graveyard wall, Where ghoulish effervescence And ghostly iridescence In moon-kissed opalescence Enthrall at evenfall. I hear an eerie sighing. It jars me to the bone: A petrifying crying Beneath a marble stone. The moan is terrifying. The tone is mystifying. What spook is occupying The dust-and-ashes zone? I feel grim goosebumps prickle. My knuckles burn bright white. Cold sweat begins to trickle. I’m riding tides of fright. I’m in an awful pickle; The reaper’s whispers tickle...

. Glastonbury A deathless tree stood witness while The marshlands round a nearby isle Were drained and bared a hill forlorn; A lonesome tree, long in exile Since Joseph sailed from the Nile— The Glastonbury Thorn. That staff once thrust into the earth Had burgeoned to a blessed girth And...

. Dead Puppies On a break from the propaganda mill I found puppies I thought I could kill, So I shot them with zombie-rich juice--- I am Fauci, I need no excuse. I just couldn’t believe how they screech, So I cut all their cords that make speech And returned...

. How Grim Is the Grim Reaper? How grim is the Grim Reaper? Rapacious and rambunctious; Solemn stalker, soul seeker, Slayer uncompunctious. How dim his lair’s darkness? Capacious, crenellated Wailing walls of starkness; Evil never sated! How slim is our survival? A silver shining sliver Of time from our arrival...

. To all the tough women in Texas who actually know how to handle guns. My daddy got the job for me. He wanted me to work. And daddy’s got a lot of social clout. I told him “When it comes to guns, I’m just a worthless jerk!” He answered,...

. We Sum total of all life is death, And breath sustains us for a time. We’ll live until we’ve spent God's dime. The meter's running faster still. No matter what we want or will, We’re always in His debt. Some say that life's a losing bet, But we embrace...

. So many things were churning in his mind When scrambling down the track towards the cove, To take especial care or drop behind Them both, decide perhaps it might behove Him to feign injury before his friends, Avert the worst accurst day of his life, Reverse his steps, the...

. It's raining now in New York City; Yes, I know that's true. For like that dreamer, Walter Mitty, Daydreams take me, too, To fabled places far away Upon a lazy, rainy day Where I can see and do and say What fancy leads me to. So, while I sit...

. Face-to-Face Meeting up, Darjeeling tea, So familiar, you and me. Here’s your cup, you raise it up Do a little "cheers" to me, Joke on "hospital-it-tea," Say, “How healing is a cup, More than a mask, as we sup.” . . Nightmare for Mike Lancaster, a friend who may...

. Men Before Work for Dana Gioia It’s dark and cold. The fleet comes filtering in. They take a breath. They get out of their cars. Half-hidden in a cowl-like hood, their heads are bent like friars walking through the fields. Their coffee cups are hallowed in their hands. The...

. Pope Sylvester II and Meridiana Pope Sylvester II, born Gerbert de Aurillac (946-1003), is said to have had a demonic succubus named Meridiana who not only satisfied his sexual needs but also served as his counselor and advisor in many political and ecclesiasticalmatters. An account of this strange relationship...

. Fright Night This is the night the dead walk in the streets Looking like neighbors’ children, masked In tricks they have been taught to trade for treats That pose the questions spooks are always asked. The six year old rouged like a Main Street Moll Knows better than to say...