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                               . Act right now to tear down a piece of Guantanamo Bay                                                       OUR CONTRIBUTORS

                                                                 I Think Therefore Iambic©

Free Verse 

Ted O. Badger is the editor/publisher of Lucidity, A Journal of Verse.  His words: 

 Sonnet, Lyrical               

 John Engle  is a teacher of creative writing in classroom, community, state and national workshops and as a Poet in the

 Schools in the Ohio Arts Council, he has coached hundreds of young people and adults into print.  He served many years 

as editorial associate of Writer's Digest while writing a column of poetry called Engle's Angle in magazines and 

newspapers.  He also has published fiction, nonfiction and drama and has had one full-length historical drama 

produced.  More than two thousand of John Engle's poems, light, heavy and in-between have appeared in various 

publications, including The Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping, Ladies' Home Journal, Writer's Digest, 

Byline, Writer's Journal, His works include Laugh Lightly, Laugh Lightly II, Modern Odyssey, Sea Songs, 

Tree People, Cycle of Beauty and Present Perfect.  His light verse is included in three hard cover anthologies,

Light Year '86, '87, '88, published by Bits Press .  His latest book, Leaning Toward The Light is a hardback on how

to write and sell light verse.  His poetry has been selected for two Japanese college texts, A College Anthology of 

American Literature and American  Poetry for College Students.  He has received many awards for his poetry,

including a special award at Indiana State University Writer's conference, the Convention Award from the National 

Federation of State Poetry Societies in Birmingham and the Grand Prize in the Byline Magazine Poetry Contest,  

This lists includes only a summary of his lifetime awards. Mr. Engle is also a gifted photographer, who often includes

his photographs in his poetry books.

                                                           JOHN D. ENGLE. JR.                            

Blank Verse, Sonnet,  Villanelle 

Harvey Stanbrough is Editor/Publisher of The Raintown Review.  To quote him, " after enjoying a  21-year civilian

appreciation course in the U. S. Marine Corps," Harvey Stanbrough  attended Eastern New Mexico University,

where he managed "to sneak up" (his words),  on a  bachelor's degree in English.   Harvey's current on-line book

Lessons For a Barren Population*,  has recently been  released; (see web address).  Previous books, (paper),

include re-sid-u-a and  On Love and War and Other Fallacies.  The latter book was nominated for a 1999

Pulitzer Prize in Letters.

*   http://www.hardshell.com/Lessons/    Or put this in Keyword for access

     hmpeditor@hotmail.com             http://www.hstanbrough.com ~

                                                                     HARVEY STANBROUGH

                  Sonnet, Villanelle, Other Forms - 

Janet Parker. a recognized, award-winning poet, short story writer and by-line feature article writer for a 

newspaper,  Janet has had several poetry books published, including  Forever Yours, Janet, Poems to

Remember, Poems to Share, Suncatchers and Among the Leaves, an award-winning chapbook.  She has

co-authored Poetically Yours and Trends with Mary Gribble.  Janet's poetry can be seen in many of today's

popular press journals.  A Naval Chief Personnel Petty Officer, she attended Assumption College.  With her 

husband, Dr. Fletcher Parker, she founded Poets' Gathering,  an on-going poetry workshop for local poets.

http://community.webtv.net/tenaj/thepoeticpage  Or write this in Keyword 

                   `                                                 

                                                      JANET PARKER

                 Sonnet, Villanelle, Other Iambic, Other Forms  - 

William J."Bill" Middleton, Ph.D. was born and educated in Texas.  He  and his wife Millie, have lived in

 Chadds Ford, PA for thirty-four years.  Bill retired from DuPont after more than thirty years as a research

 chemist, and then spent eleven years teaching chemistry at Ursinus College in  Collegeville, PA, where he is

 presently an Emeritus Professor of  Research in Chemistry.  His poetry books include It's About Time, Partners

 in Rhyme with Harvey Stanbrough),  Professor McGee's Solution, Little Songs, Garden Rubaiyat,  Limerick

 Tyme, Pun In Cheek, Limerick 101,  My Color, Moon Dancing,  and Half-Borrowed Couplets:  The Poet and

 the Jester and  Puns Upon A Rhyme, Pun and Games: It Could Be Verse,  (2000), Rhyme And

 Punishment, (2001),  Punny Limericks  For  Kidders and Grown-Ups (2002), A Pun My Word It Could Be 

Verse (2004) and others.

                                                             WILLIAM J. MIDDLETON, Ph.D.    

                                                                            and CLYDE

Von Purdy  is an artist and cartoonist/caricature creator, remembering faces she has once observed

with accuracy.  Her poems are from a personal collection.

Troxey Kemper   was  Editor/Publisher of The Tucumcari Literary Review.  Troxey is listed in Who's Who in

America (West),  Directory of American Poets/Writers, Poets and Writers Magazine, New York 

International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England Who's Who in Writers, Editors and Poets,

US and Canada, Highland Park, Illinois.   His published poetry books include Under a Sky of Azure,

Mainly on the Plain, Whence and Whither, Mood Swings, A Definite Maybe, Folio and Signature,  

Part Comanche , (hardback), Bloom of the Years, (non-rhyming vignettes); his books are Comanche

War Bonnet, Lean Into the Wind, Shallow Graves, Texas for the Duration, New Mexico: Tough and 

Tender and  Dear Editor:  Cranky Letters.   All But Lost and  Last Bastion (a 55,000-word novel about

newspapering/courtrooms) were published in 1999, with eight novels completed or in progress.  

His work has appeared in American Film Magazine, Los Angeles Times, LA Times Magazine,        

San Diego Union, El Paso Times, Amarillo Globe-News, Writer's Digest Magazine, Small Press 

Review, Poets & Writers Magazine, Milwaukee Journal, California Highway Magazine, Ozarks

Mountaineer Magazine, Missouri Life Magazine, Frontier Times, True West, New Mexico Magazine,

National Writers Union Magazine and has spent almost eighteen years with the Albuquerque 

Journal.   Troxey Kemper's poems have appeared in the Midwest Poetry Review, Piedmont 

Literary Review,  The Poet,  ByLine Magazine, D.H. Lawrence Poetry collection, Edna St. Vincent

Millay collection,  Emily Dickinson collection, Edgar Allen Poe collection and many others.

One-hundred and five of his songs, country-western, waltz, blues, ballads and novelty, have

 been recorded by sixteen performers.  

Troxey was born in Oklahoma,  is one-eighth Comanche.  He has lived in Oklahoma, Missouri, 

Texas, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon;  for over forty years in New Mexico, and since 1969 in Hollywood/ Los 

Angeles.  He attended schools in Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas and New Mexico, attended Saltillo College 

(BA-Journalism/Spanish), with graduate work at the University of New Mexico.  

                                                       TROXEY KEMPER (1915-2002) 

                                                         ( A memorial to Troxey below)   

                                                                                            ********

Sonnet

Jendi B. Reiter  - is a teacher, writer and creator of http;//www.winningwriters.com/ a source of

literary contest information.  Her poems, essays, articles and instructions have appeared in countless

journals and magazines in the United States (refer to winningwriters.com/ for in depth biography and

listings of publications where her work appears and awards she has received).

          "One of the 101 Best Web Sites for Writers" (Writer's Digest, 2005) 

                                       Mrs. Reiter lives in Northampton, MA.      

                To purchase her most recent book,  A Talent For Sadness, access: 

        http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0971737169/winningwriter-20

                                                                       JENDI REITER                                               

                Blank Verse 

Carol W. LaForet   -  is a writer from Bucks County, PA.  Her poems have been widely published 

in more than fifty literary journals and magazines in the United States.  Her book,   

Take Home The Sea, a volume of seaside poetry, was published in early 2002..  It is available

at all major online bookstores.

                                                                   CAROL W. LAFORET                                                                                               

                 Sonnet - 

Harry Letton, Jr. (1915-2002) - a poet from San Marino, CA   

                 Other Forms -Free Verse and Lyrical  - 

G. Tod Slone  is Founder and Editor of  The American Dissident  (enmarge@aol.com), devoted to poetry 

and short essays highly  critical of the American scene.  He is the writer of three unpublished  

autobiographical novels and one play, all centered around corruption in the public higher

 and secondary educational systems.  Mr. Slone writes against the grain of current American

 literature -- against the grain of marketability.  What American  college president would hire

 a  French/Spanish professor  who blew the whistle on corruption in the Massachusetts                                                  

 state college system, to deaf ears, (e.g., The Boston Globe, The Chronicle of Higher 

Education, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, NEA, MLA, state Board of Higher 

Education,  as well as a multitude of academics)?  He fought that corruption and was awarded a

 small monetary settlement during arbitration hearings.   What American college president,

 indeed, would hire a professor with that background, as well as eight years of full-time college

 teaching experience at two American colleges, six years at two French universities,

 a doctorate from the Universite de Nantes (France) in Sociolinguistics, Canadian and

 Francophone Studies, a solid record of continuous scholarship, excellent student evaluation

 and two very favorable Ad Hoc Committee evaluations which countered the corrupt

 evaluations of two state-college emeriti chairpersons and a deceitful Vice President of

 Academic Affairs?   The answer to that question is ... not a single one.  Why?  Because public

 education today does not want professors who would devote themselves to the truth and 

justice,  but rather those who would follow, fawn and most of all, fear.  Currently,  Mr. Slone is

 unemployed and without criminal record,  although he could be sentenced to three months

 in prison if he stepped on the state property of the  McKay Campus at Fitchburg State College 

("The Leadership College"),  because the Vice President of Academic Affairs of that institution

 had a writ of no-trespass issued as retaliation for documents circulated which proved he was 

a liar.  The college president has, to this day,  refused to revoke the order, despite several

requests, including one made by the MTA.

Mr. Slone has written five full-length narratives.  The fourth, Total Chaos:  Behind the Facade of 

a National Blue Ribbon High School has been  published by The People's Press.    His

last full-length narrative, Suburbanitica: Journal of a Citizen Lost/True Tales in the American 

Hypocrisy is "desperating" for a publisher.

The motto of The American Dissident is a belated reply to Mr. Slone's college colleagues who 

suggested that perhaps he should stop criticizing aloud.   It is "ESTOIT-IL LORS TEMPS DE MOY

 TAIRE?"  (Was it then that I should have kept my mouth shut?)  In Villon's 1463 poem, he writes to

 the court bailiff, who suggested he keep his mouth shut and hang like a man.  

The American Dissident Website:   www.geocities.com/enmarge/

                                                                    G. TOD SLONE, PhD 

                  Sonnet, Villanelle, Other Iambic, Other Forms -

Mary Gribble was born in Atlanta and  raised in San Antonio.  Having  lived in California for 

fifty years,  her home is in San Marino with  husband, Donald and daughter, Von.  She  has

been a  contributor to poetry presses for thirty-six years.  Mary has been awarded thirty-seven 

finalist plaques in the  Writer's Digest International Competition.   After  attending

 Holton Arms, Washington, D.C., Radford School for Girls, El Paso, Texas, San Antonio Art 

Institute,  Incarnate Word and Draughn's  Colleges,  she has held many

interesting "positions" for forty  years, the most recent as a staff real estate appraiser

and broker for a large bank.  Her poetry books include Eyes,  Eighties Odes,  Miscibles, 

Poetically Yours,  Trends (the last two with co-author Janet Parker. ), Goliath's Kids,

a discussion -- and criticism of America's powerful institutions (2003).  Mary is

listed in Marquis' Who's Who of 2003 -  2006-7. .

                                                     MARY GRIBBLE       

R. Neoma Kemper Reed  --  At age 83, retired from a life of active duty, her words state that she 

finds herself with more time than sense, stating that she has, at times, been bereft of both.  After 

many years of having aspired to writing, (she says, "even managing to get some into print"), She decided

to try a book or two, home-made variety, stating "that it is said that everybody has one book in them.

An enterprise to fill my wasting time and to give me something to get up for in the morning..  I knew 

my typing would be 'rusty', as I haven't used a typewriter in 50 years.  I found my expertise non-

existent, fizzled, disappeared, but having always been sort of contrary-like,  I says, 'I'll do it, anyway.'

I find this typewriter, like many I ever used, makes mistakes.  With perseverance, but no patience, 

here (are my poems).  I hope that you, with patience and perseverance, will sift through the mistakes,

goofs and misconceptions to see if you can find anything interesting herein.

                                                     RUBY  NEOMA KEMPER REED                                                

                                                                         Acknowledgements

                   Ted O. Badger - What Happened to Love?  and  The Irony of War are

                   from collected poems.

                   John  Engle - Award-winning poem  April Christmas from Pegasus,  the

                    magazine of the Kentucky State Poetry Society,   the poems  

                   April Fooling, May, and June are from  collected poems.

                     Troxey Kemper -  Award-winning poems.  You Did Not Call,

                             One Way Romance,  Fences,  The Homesteaders and The Sand

                             of Enchantment,  What Does It Mean?,  Debits and Credits, 

                             Valley Girl, Root of The Problem   and Memories are borrowed

                             from Troxey's books,    above,  and from numerous poetry presses,

                             newspapers and  magazines.

                                                                                      ~~~~             

                                                                 Troxey Kemper  

                                                                    (1915-2002)

                            Intrinsically  gifted, Troxey Kemper was known to his poet/writer friends 

                            as the most dedicated, smartest and gentlest of men.  Troxey,  with 

                            trademark humility, titled his bio, "freelance writer, retired reporter/editor, 

                            currently editor of a small magazine,  The Tucumcari Literary Review".

                            One of the last of the small press,  metered poetry publications,  TLR was 

                            also the best.    My first acquaintance with Troxey was, to the day, six

                            years before his death on March 8, 2002.  Reading his invitation in  Poet's

                            Market, "simultaneous submissions, previously  printed OK... lined notebook

                            paper, hand-written poems OK.  WHAT COUNTS IS WHAT IT SAYS." (caps mine).

                            I wrote inside walls papered with mass-produced, unsigned rejections 

                            from  heavy, slick-papered name-droppers, all of which featured

                            exquisite fonts of "non-rhyming junk",  (Troxey's quote of  college 

                            professors saying what they were sick of).  What? Not beholden to the dollar? 

                            Or a politician?  Where is that hundred million grant from the Eli -Lilly-lady?

                            A humorous 1949 photo of Troxey on  TLR's back cover has the

                            caption, "This is I ....(let's use correct English here)".  This gentleman's gracious 

                            wholeness, fly-eyed vision,  dogged persistence in the face of 

                            scanty rewards -- (and battle with cancer, to the end, hidden from all)

                            evades description.   We hear only the mumble, "That was Troxey."

                            Troxey stood firm in stubborn loyalty to his little family of poets/writers.

                           They, in turn, turned out first quality, if sadly unsung, work.  (Work, when referring to 

                           his own poetry, Troxey always put in quotes).  Unlike the Biggies, whose 

                           employees did not return SASEs or inconvenience themselves to respond to 

                           queries, Troxey returned all SASEs , most often unused, and  every letter

                           merited a hand-written -- (and in beautiful script ) --  response, along with an

                           antidote which "had just come to him."  Didn't Ralph Waldo Emerson 

                           remark (not sic), "without  conversation,  there is nothing.." ?  Three electric

                           typewriters gathered dust on Troxey's desk "because they are temperamental";

                           Fight a computer?  No way!  After the September 11 tragedy, I wrote  him  I was 

                           shocked/ saddened into a mute state,  although I respected the poets who

                           could persuade their  psyches to write from an area unscrambled by grief.

                           This  silence has shown itself to all who knew Troxey.  Poets and writers                                              

                    have lost their mentor.  Could Troxey be publishing for angels, still not 

                    checking for MFAs, MBAs, PhDs or if the writer is on good terms with his/her 

                    Probation Officer?  Troxey was not a Poor or Education Snob (someone 

                    who derides those with advantages in the same fashion as a highfa-looting

                    Snob), each  flavor of  snob, to him, was the holder of a certified void. 

                              

                                                             "It is WHAT IT SAYS that is important!"            

  Ted O. Badger  -  What Happened to Love? , The Irony of War    --  from collected poems 

  R. Neoma Kemper Reed  - Crazy Quilt   -                         

                                                                                    ~~~

                 Carol W. La Foret  -   Coffee Break, Mud Shoes  -   from collected poems

                       Harry Letton, Jr. -   Valentine  -  from collected poems              

                  William J. Middleton, Ph.D.  - Heptameter Sonnet - Moon

                              Dancing,  "Mile A Minute" Barney - My Color and Tucumcari

                              Literary Review; Fireworks- Little Songs and Tucumcari Literary

                              Review,  On Finding An Old Book With Uncut Pages, Awakening -

                              Little Songs;  Tell Me I'm Brave - (Text Book) - The Road Less Traveled

                              by Carl E. Heffley and It's About Time;  To A Tick -  It's About Time; What 

                              Milton Lost, Double Negative, No Compliments to the Chef -  Pun in Cheek;

                              Should Sue Sue, Skinny  - Limerick 101;   Triolet For  Love  -

                              My Color;    I'll Greet The Dawn - Little Songs;   Ninety-Three -

                              The Raintown Review, Vernon, Texas -- Summer 1938 - It's About 

                              Time,  Judge Mitt , Bach To Lunch - Punny Limericks For Kidders 

                               and Groan Ups; A Scholarly Wock - Pun and Games, It Could Be

                               Verse; Jane Smith, Missing the Marx - A Pun My Word It Could 

                               Be Verse

**

                  Janet Parker - Blithe Spirit - won Reader's Choice in Poetic

                              License;  Paradise Found - Trends;  Serving Others - won

                              Reader's Choice in Poetic Challenge,  Poetically Yours;  The

                              Perfect Day -  Trends;  Shangri-La -  Trends;  Chaos - 

                              Tucumcari Literary Review;  Night, Millenium - Yummy Leftovers 

                     G. Tod Slone, PhD -  Ballade of the Flock Apathetic - Collected 

                             Poems.  In America and The Tissue Of  Artisans, The United Sheepdom

                             of America  - No Lite,  February At Old Orchard Beach, 2004, 

                              The Travesty of Thoreau - The American Dissident Vol. 9, 2004

                             Sketch of Oscar Wilde by American Dissident,   P. Maudit

                      Jendi B. Reiter  - 

                                                         How the Hours Succeed  -

                                                  from her book, A Talent For Sadness                                                                                                                          

***

              Harvey Stanbrough - Christmas Eve on the Sidewalk,

                              Upwardly Mobile, Dead Heroes. On The Remarkability

                              of Poets, This Livin' Ain't No  Easy Thing - re·sid·u·a and

                              Lessons For A Barren Population;  Chasing Hemingway,

                              Statute of Limitations -  On Love and War and Other

                              Fallacies and Lessons For A Barren Population;

                              Good News - On Love and War and Other Fallacies, 

                              A Poet's Wish - The Road Less Traveled, a textbook 

               Mary Gribble - Work This In - Tucumcari Literary Review;  War

                              Orphan - Trends;  Stolen Spring - won 6th Place in Writer's

                              Digest International Competition;  Will Be Again - Trends;

                              Review - Tucumcari Literary Review, Finalist Winner,  WDIC;

                              Cover Letter - American Poets and Poetry in 2000, The Jerk -

                              Raintown Review in 2000; They Said They Wanted It Back -

                              Poetically Yours;   Ham and Egos - Miscibles, A Shot of 

                              Lemonade - Poetically Yours, Finalist Winner, WDIC, A Few

                              Wet Bars - Tucumcari Literary Review, Finalist Winner, WDIC.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                               -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                    The Vision of I Think Therefore Iambic ©

                                        To build a home for living poets  - giving their best work

                                                  as great an influence for good as the  work

                                               of  those who have the  advantage of death, 

                                                         special connections or  privilege.

                                 Links are not always compatible with  every browser.  Direct

                                            access is certain by typing URL in Keyword space. 

                                                                                * * *

                            We extend our deepest sympathy to, and our prayers for the families and 

victims of the cruel and horrendous disaster of September 11.   This travesty of all that is beautiful, 

creative, good and human, this punishment of the innocent,  these deeds so cold,  ugly and ignorant

that they cannot stand up to the coldest reason,  the vicious lying-in-wait crime will be judged 

some way, some day,  as will the spirits of the monsters who mentored these disturbed, youthful 

criminals.  All world citizens whose lives reflect decency,  a genuine boldness born of love and

respect for those unlike themselves, even in darkest circumstances, will be vindicated and

brought to  blessedness.

                                                           Bruce Mitchell,  Editor/Publisher

                                                             I  Think Therefore Iambic  ©                                                   

                                                            All Rights Reserved        2007

--

                                                                                                                                                  Sunflowers

                                                                                                                                                   By   Claude Monet