. Henry at Morning Time I’m lost in Greek or Latin, when You break into my life again. “Daddy, look!...

. Seaside Retreat Footsteps move slow through shifting sand; A weather-beaten picket fence Encloses beach verbena fanned By sea oats...

. Crackpot Clown a villanelle     “Clowns are the pegs on which the circus is hung”  ---P. T. Barnum The...

. Formulas for Failure I’ve seen too much of devastating failure, In almost every avenue of life. One might guess...

. To Michael Burch: The Hillbilly Voice of Liberalism Mike Burch hates the stuff we write, Abuses us at his...

. The Emperor's New Chromosomes The Emperor would be remade; He felt if he could be a maid He’d be...

. Back to Sleep In very early years, now far behind, When I returned to earth at midnight deep From...

. The Sea The sea rolls on, unchanged. Unmarred By earthly wars it stays unscarred. Always as long as man...

. The Jeweler’s Deposition at the Coroner’s Inquest I certainly will tell you what I can. I knew the family—watched...

. On Lies and Liars A Double (Petrarchan) Sonnet . “You are of your father the devil, and your will...

. King Dom’s Dream Kingdom “In death’s dream kingdom…” —T. S. Eliot, “The Hollow Me" Ukrainian Victoria Amelina has died...

. Poorer by the Day a villanelle They pay in promises they will betray; A scam as cold and ancient...

. Sonnet I Our arms are leaves stretched out; our thoughts can bloom The grandest only when we crowd out...

. Melodious Curlew Melodious curlew mottled brown and bister, No longer raise your crescent-shapen beak Towards the waning moon, to...

. Via Appia Beneath the pines of Rome, the wrinkled sibyl will croak your future for eleven cents, and with...

. July 20, 1999 a villanelle for Falun Gong Practitioners after 24 years of persecution Your path is narrow, yet...

. Meditation on the Moon O! think about that strange celestial clump, That ball of dust God found beneath His...

. ***** The Red Hotel has blood on ev’ry floor Where ev’ry room is numbered 666 And blood-greased door knobs...

. Good Friday, Revisiting Glamis "Not in the legions Of horrid Hell can come a devil more damn'd In evils,...

. On Silicon Avenue The lawns on Silicon Avenue were mowed on Wednesdays. All the hedges, too, were cut. On...

. The Park The Park he’d built, which hovered overhead, Went far beyond the scope of any to That time...

. It's Dangerously Close to Too Late Virtually stormed by countless disciples, __trolled by their merchants of Hate, We, who...

. Balderdash? What are these hidden, unseen things? Do angels, demons, float on wings? Such ghostly shapes the full moon...

. A Birthday Prayer Dear God, a new year has begun, My thirty-fourth of blessèd life. You’ve given children, lovely...

. Me and My Pronouns Pronouns—I’ve gotten rather tired of them. Not quite so tired, though, as of being queried...

. Panchavati, An Introduction by Maithili Sharan Gupt (1886-1964) translated by Paddy Raghunathan The full moon’s mesmerizing rays Appear to...

. The White House Coke Though Hunter left his laptop at the shop, The Woke deny he lost his White...

. Stand There comes a time to stand for what you know To be the right, whatever be the cost....

. Suiseki Rainfall has stopped; it’s the best time for hunting a stone. Drizzle still dampens debris; Trees put forth...

. Insomnia Kyrielle The stars above have gone to bed, their quilt of clouds a calming sweep as moonlight strokes...

. The Nation’s Heart The Nation’s heart has passed away, A loving grandmother to all. And now it’s for her...

. Heavy Excess a plea from the human realm I must flee this land where feelings choke, Unrope attachments that...

. SCP Poet Cynthia Erlandson of Michigan has won the 2023 Maria W. Faust Sonnet Competition.  Her sonnet, "Fire and...

. Better with Love I thought I was a pleasant sort __When we first met. Not perfect but near sweet...

. Peace For Our Time "I believe it is peace for our time... Go home and get a nice quiet...

. The Billboard a pantoum It’s propped along the route I roll— A squatting square against the sky, Atop a...

. Don't Mess with Texas Gals On My Late Life Wife . Don't mess with my hot Texan. She's Texas...

. The Misologist “There is no greater evil one can suffer  than to hate reasonable discourse.” ---Socrates He reads the...

. A Poet's Plight I’ll think of a theme for my next little verse, intriguing and witty, though still must...

. My Resignation Be still, my Heart, be stiller than the grave. When consciousness dissolves into the sea, This desperate...