October 2026 packs a lot into thirty-one days for poets — first-book prizes, single-poem contests, translation awards, and a few big travel opportunities all close this month. Below is a curated roundup of poetry contests October 2026 and related calls we verified on official contest or publisher pages. Always double-check guidelines (fees, eligibility, and formatting) before … [Read more...] about Poetry Submission Deadlines October 2026
October Fight, By: Andrew Cyr
Bare birches— crimson, yellow leaves scatter the walk. FIRST EDITION glows— dive bar window. Long sleeves, soft breeze, smoke haze. Pool balls crack. "Downfall" on the radio. People chat, I sip cola. Eyes stalk me. Composure gone when a loudmouth takes to drink— loose fingers shatter bottles, spill before an internet date. Fight, flee, freeze— a Southern belle, her to her … [Read more...] about October Fight, By: Andrew Cyr
What Is Annabel Lee About?
What is Annabel Lee about? Edgar Allan Poe's poem is about a love so strong that the speaker believes it survives death. He tells how he and Annabel Lee loved each other as children "in a kingdom by the sea," how she died, and how he still feels united with her, to the point of lying beside her tomb every night. Read the full text of Annabel Lee on Poetry Catalog. Short … [Read more...] about What Is Annabel Lee About?
The Lovely Lass o’ Inverness, By: Robert Burns
The lovely lass o’ Inverness,Nae joy nor pleasure can she see;For, e’en to morn she cries, alas!And aye the saut tear blin’s her e’e. “Drumossie moor, Drumossie day—A waefu’ day it was to me!For there I lost my father dear,My father dear, and brethren three. “Their winding-sheet the bluidy clay,Their graves are growin’ green to see;And by them lies the dearest ladThat … [Read more...] about The Lovely Lass o’ Inverness, By: Robert Burns
Sonnet on the Death of Robert Riddell, By: Robert Burns
Of Glenriddell and Friars’ Carse. No more, ye warblers of the wood! no more;Nor pour your descant grating on my soul;Thou young-eyed Spring! gay in thy verdant stole,More welcome were to me grim Winter’s wildest roar. How can ye charm, ye flowers, with all your dyes?Ye blow upon the sod that wraps my friend!How can I to the tuneful strain attend?That strain flows round … [Read more...] about Sonnet on the Death of Robert Riddell, By: Robert Burns
On Wm. Graham, Esq., of Mossknowe, By: Robert Burns
“Stop thief!” dame Nature call’d to Death,As Willy drew his latest breath;How shall I make a fool again?My choicest model thou hast ta’en. … [Read more...] about On Wm. Graham, Esq., of Mossknowe, By: Robert Burns