To make sure
You have not said:
“I love you,”
They smell your breath.
They even smell your heart
Trying times are these, my darling.
They flog love
Tied to the post of the cul-de-sac
We must hide love in the closet.
In this serpentine maze
This crooked cold corner
They feed the fire
With poems and songs
Thinking, too, is risky.
Those who, late at night, knock on the door,
Are there to kill the lamp.
We must hide the light in the closet.
Then there are the butchers
Stationed at all cross-roads,
Armed with a block and a bloody cleaver.
Trying times these are, my darling.
Surgically,
They plant smiles on lips,
And songs in the mouths.
We must hide joy in the closet.
On lilies and lilacs,
They roast the canaries.
Trying times these are, my darling.
Drunk with victory, the Devil,
Celebrates our wake.
We must hide God in the closet.

A few random poems:
- Николай Некрасов – Дни идут… всё так же воздух душен
- The First Part: Sonnet 3 – Ye who so curiously do paint your thoughts, by William Drummond
- Ярослав Смеляков – Шинель
- Elegy poem – Aleister Crowley poems | Poetry Monster
- Омар Хайям – Не смешно ли весь век по копейке копить
- Алексей Ржевский – Портрет
- A Wink From Hesper by William Ernest Henley
- Family by Stacey Chillemi
- Conscience by Walter William Safar
- Вероника Тушнова – Я стою у открытой двери
- Владимир Маяковский – Последний баронишко (Главполитпросвет №324)
- Arithmetic on the Frontier by Rudyard Kipling
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Напрасные жертвы
- Николай Рубцов – Хороший улов
- By Garpal Stream by Stanley Wilkin
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
- Commemoration of Rodney’s Victory by Robert Burns
- Coming Through The Rye by Robert Burns
- Caledonia: A Ballad by Robert Burns
- Burlesque Lament fo Wm. Creech’s Absence by Robert Burns
- Bonnie Lesley by Robert Burns
- Bonie Jean: A Ballad by Robert Burns
- Boat Song—Hey, Ca’ Thro’ by Robert Burns
- Birthday Ode for 31st December, 1787 by Robert Burns
- Ballad on the American War by Robert Burns
- Ballad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 4 by Robert Burns
- Ballad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 3 by Robert Burns
- Ballad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 2 by Robert Burns
- Ballad on Mr. Heron’s Election—No. 1 by Robert Burns
- Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns
- Apology to Mr. Syme for not dining with him by Robert Burns
- Another on the said Occasion by Robert Burns
- Ah, woe is me, my Mother dear by Robert Burns
- Ae Fond Kiss, And Then We Sever by Robert Burns
- Address to Wm. Tytler, Esq., of Woodhouselee by Robert Burns
- Address to the Unco Guid 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