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:
- The Appointment by Ruth Padel
- Sing of the Banner at Day-Break. by Walt Whitman
- Федор Сологуб – Там, внизу, костры горели
- STRANGE HAPPENINGS by Satish Verma
- Nestling by Mark R Slaughter
- Федор Тютчев – Как неожиданно и ярко
- Sonnet 71: No longer mourn for me when I am dead by William Shakespeare
- Юлия Жадовская – Заколдованное сердце
- Highway to Happiness by Stacey Chillemi
- Change of Climate by Michael S Wilson
- The Tears In Cupid’s Eyes by Tupac Shakur
- Song. Written On A Blank Page In Beaumont And Fletcher’s Works poem – John Keats poems
- Альфред де Мюссе – Печаль
- The Fall by William Barnes
- Наум Коржавин – Легкость
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
- Zitten Out The Wold Year by William Barnes
- Zellen Woone’s Honey To Buy Zome’hat Sweet by William Barnes
- Woodcom’ Feast by William Barnes
- Wold Friends A-Met by William Barnes
- A Wold Friend by William Barnes
- A Witch by William Barnes
- Whitsuntide An’ Club Walken by William Barnes
- Vo’k A-Comèn Into Church by William Barnes
- Vellen O’ The Tree by William Barnes
- Uncle An’ Aunt by William Barnes
- Treat Well Your Wife by William Barnes
- To Me by William Barnes
- The Zilver-Weed by William Barnes
- The Woodlands by William Barnes
- The Wold Wall by William Barnes
- The Wold Waggon by William Barnes
- The Wold Vo’k Dead by William Barnes
- The Woddy Hollow by William Barnes
- The Winter’s Willow by William Barnes
- The Window Freäm’d Wi’ Stwone 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

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