A poem by Adrienne Cecile Rich (1929 – 2012)
If I’ve reached for your lines (I have)
like letters from the dead that stir the nerves
dowsed you for a springhead
to water my thirst
dug into my compost skeletons and petals
you surely meant to catch the light:
-at work in my wormeaten wormwood-raftered
stateless underground
have I a plea?
If I’ve touched your finger
with a ravenous tongue
licked from your palm a rift of salt
if I’ve dreamt or thought you
a pack of blood fresh-drawn
hanging darkred from a hook
higher than my heart
(you who understand transfusion)
where else should I appeal?
A pilot light lies low
while the gas jets sleep
(a cat getting toed from stove
into nocturnal ice)
language uncommon and agile as truth
melts down the most intractable silence
A lighthouse keeper’s ethics:
you tend for all or none
for this you might set your furniture on fire
A this we have blundered over
as if the lamp could be shut off at will
rescue denied for some
and still a lighthouse be

A few random poems:
- Fifth Grade Autobiography by Rita Dove
- Why? by Tiffany Ann Monroe
- Barter by Sara Teasdale
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Я знаю, люблю я бесплодно
- Владимир Корнилов – Слепец
- Threshold by Rabindranath Tagore
- View From The Top Of Black Comb by William Wordsworth
- The Pulling Away by Timothy Cole
- English Poetry. Richard Hovey. The Old Pine. Ричард Хави.
- Valgovinds Song In The Spring
- Ancient Sins by Satish Verma
- Denis poem – Gerard Manley Hopkins poems
- Robert Burns: Versified Note To Dr. Mackenzie, Mauchline:
- Written With A Slate Pencil On A Stone, On The Side Of The Mountain Of Black Comb by William Wordsworth
- At Sea
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
- Moonlight On The Door by William Barnes
- Me’th Below The Tree by William Barnes
- Meary-Ann’s Child by William Barnes
- Meaken Up A Miff by William Barnes
- Meäry’s Smile by William Barnes
- Meäry Wedded by William Barnes
- Martin’s Tide by William Barnes
- Married Peäir’s Love Walk by William Barnes
- Looks A-Know’d Avore by William Barnes
- Linda Deäne by William Barnes
- Light Or Sheäde by William Barnes
- Leaves A-Vallèn by William Barnes
- Leady-Day, An’ Ridden House by William Barnes
- Keepen Up O’ Chris’mas by William Barnes
- John Bloom In Lon’on by William Barnes
- John Bleäke At Hwome At Night by William Barnes
- Jeane’s Wedden Day In Mornen by William Barnes
- In The Stilness O’ The Night by William Barnes
- I’m Out O’ Door by William Barnes
- Hope In Spring by William Barnes
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.