A poem by Alan Dugan
As an American traveler I have
to remember not to get actionably mad
about the way things are around here.
Tomorrow I’ll be a thousand miles away
from the way it is around here. I will
keep my temper, I will not kill the dog
next door, nor will I kill the next-door wife,
both of whom are crazy and aggressive
and think they live at the center of culture
like everyone else in this college town.
This is because I’m leaving, I’m taking off
by car, by light plane, by jet, by taxicab,
for some place else a thousand miles away,
so I caution myself: control your rage,
even if it causes a slight heart attack.
Stay out of jail tonight before you leave,
and don’t get obstreperous in transit tomorrow
so as to stay out of jail on arrival tomorrow night.
Think: the new handcuffs are sharp inside
and meant to cut the wrists. You’re not too old
to be raped in their filthy overcrowded jails
and you’ll lose your glasses and false teeth.
How would you eat, study and be
a traveling lecturer if you got out alive and sane?
So remember to leave this place peacefully,
it’s only Asshole State University at Nowheresville,
and remember to get to the next place peacefully,
it’s only Nowhere State University at Assholesville
and you must travel from place to place for food and shelter.
A few random poems:
- Second Epistle to Davie by Robert Burns
- The Flower-Fed Buffaloes by Vachel Lindsay
- Feroke
- Василий Тредиаковский – Невозможно быть довольным
- Masks poem – Ezra Pound poems
- Song IV: Draw Near and Behold Me by William Morris
- Юлия Друнина – Страна Юность
- Parody on a Haiku by Issa by Monty Gilmer
- A Song Of The Princess by Sara Teasdale
- A HYMN TO BACCHUS by Robert Herrick
- English Poetry. Philip James Bailey. Festus – 41. Филип Джеймс Бэйли.
- Eloisa to Abelard poem – Alexander Pope poems | Poetry Monster
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Два клада
- From An Atlas Of The Difficult World
- Fear by Raymond Carver
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
- Colonus’ Praise by William Butler Yeats
- Colonel Martin by William Butler Yeats
- Closing by William Butler Yeats
- Church And State by William Butler Yeats
- Chosen by William Butler Yeats
- Man And The Echo by William Butler Yeats
- Mad As The Mist And Snow by William Butler Yeats
- Lullaby by William Butler Yeats
- Long-Legged Fly by William Butler Yeats
- Lines Written In Dejection by William Butler Yeats
- Leda And The Swan by William Butler Yeats
- Lapis Lazuli by William Butler Yeats
- King And No King by William Butler Yeats
- John Kinsella’s Lament For Mrs. Mary Moore by William Butler Yeats
- Into The Twilight by William Butler Yeats
- In The Seven Woods by William Butler Yeats
- In Tara’s Halls by William Butler Yeats
- In Memory Of Major Robert Gregory by William Butler Yeats
- In Memory Of Eva Gore-Booth And Con Markiewicz by William Butler Yeats
- In Memory Of Alfred Pollexfen by William Butler Yeats
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

Alan Dugan (1923 – 2003) an American poet, a contemporary classic of American poetry.