A poem by Adrienne Cecile Rich (1929 – 2012)
The clouds and the stars didn’t wage this war
the brooks gave no information
if the mountain spewed stones of fire into the river
it was not taking sides
the raindrop faintly swaying under the leaf
had no political opinions
and if here or there a house
filled with backed-up raw sewage
or poisoned those who lived there
with slow fumes, over years
the houses were not at war
nor did the tinned-up buildings
intend to refuse shelter
to homeless old women and roaming children
they had no policy to keep them roaming
or dying, no, the cities were not the problem
the bridges were non-partisan
the freeways burned, but not with hatred
Even the miles of barbed-wire
stretched around crouching temporary huts
designed to keep the unwanted
at a safe distance, out of sight
even the boards that had to absorb
year upon year, so many human sounds
so many depths of vomit, tears
slow-soaking blood
had not offered themselves for this
The trees didn’t volunteer to be cut into boards
nor the thorns for tearing flesh
Look around at all of it
and ask whose signature
is stamped on the orders, traced
in the corner of the building plans
Ask where the illiterate, big-bellied
women were, the drunks and crazies,
the ones you fear most of all: ask where you were.
A few random poems:
- London in July poem – Amy Levy poems | Poems and Poetry
- Outsong in the Jungle by Rudyard Kipling
- Blow of an ax by Yosa Buson
- Translated poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- Владимир Бенедиктов – К женщине
- Как Муромец Илья когда-то
- What We Need Is Here by Wendell Berry
- Hortus poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- Robert Burns: Handsome Nell:
- Jewels by Sara Teasdale
- Vanity Fair by Sylvia Plath
- A Memory Of Youth by William Butler Yeats
- Жан де Лафонтен – Орел, Дикая Свинья и Кошка
- Jerusalem Delivered – Book 02 – part 06 by Torquato Tasso
- On the Building of Springfield by Vachel Lindsay
External links
Bat’s Poetry Page – more poetry by Fledermaus
Talking Writing Monster’s Page –
Batty Writing – the bat’s idle chatter, thoughts, ideas and observations, all original, all fresh
Poems in English
- Song—A Fiddler in the North by Robert Burns
- Song—A Bottle and Friend by Robert Burns
- Sketch—New Year’s Day, 1790 by Robert Burns
- Sketch in Verse, inscribed to the Right Hon. C. J. Fox by Robert Burns
- Second Epistle to Robert Graham, Esq., of Fintry by Robert Burns
- Second Epistle to J. Lapraik by Robert Burns
- Second Epistle to Davie by Robert Burns
- Scots, Wha Hae Wi’ Wallace Bled by Robert Burns
- Scots Prologue for Mr. Sutherland by Robert Burns
- Sappho Redivivus: A Fragment by Robert Burns
- Robert Bruce’s March to Bannockburn (Song) by Robert Burns
- Rhyming Reply to a Note from Captain Riddell by Robert Burns
- Reply to the Threat of a Censorious Critic by Robert Burns
- Reply to an Announcement by J. Rankine by Robert Burns
- Reply to a Trimming Epistle, received from a Tailor by Robert Burns
- Remorseful Apology by Robert Burns
- Remorse: A Fragment by Robert Burns
- Prologue, spoken by Mr. Woods at Edinburgh by Robert Burns
- Prologue spoken at the Theatre of Dumfries by Robert Burns
- Prayer—O Thou Dread Power by Robert Burns
More external links (open in a new tab):
Doska or the Board – write anything
Search engines:
Yandex – the best search engine for searches in Russian (and the best overall image search engine, in any language, anywhere)
Qwant – the best search engine for searches in French, German as well as Romance and Germanic languages.
Ecosia – a search engine that supposedly… plants trees
Duckduckgo – the real alternative and a search engine that actually works. Without much censorship or partisan politics.
Yahoo– yes, it’s still around, amazingly, miraculously, incredibly, but now it seems to be powered by Bing.
Parallel Translations of Poetry
The Poetry Repository – an online library of poems, poetry, verse and poetic works
Adrienne Cecile Rich (1929 – 2012) was an American poet, essayist, and feminist.