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:
- Farewell to the Court by Sir Walter Raleigh
- … and the moon was sleeping by Steve Troyanovich
- Robert Burns: Lady Mary Ann:
- The Song of the Cheerful (but slightly sarcastic) Jesus by Oliver St. John Gogarty
- In Imitation of Dr. Swift : The Happy Life of a Country Parson poem – Alexander Pope poems | Poetry Monster
- The Proud Farmer by Vachel Lindsay
- Ballad of the Goodly Fere poem – Ezra Pound poems
- Sonnet. To A Young Lady Who Sent Me A Laurel Crown poem – John Keats poems
- Владимир Луговской – Жестокое пробужденье
- Self-Portrait poem – Andrei Voznesensky poems
- Cinderella by Sylvia Plath
- Владимир Маяковский – Чемпионат всемирной классовой борьбы
- For The Dead
- Kore by Robert Creeley
- Strange Fruit by Seamus Heaney
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
- The Hedger by William Barnes
- The Heäre by William Barnes
- The Guide Post by William Barnes
- The Girt Wold House O’ Mossy Stwone by William Barnes
- The Giants In Treädes by William Barnes
- The Flood In Spring by William Barnes
- The Farmer’s Woldest D’ter by William Barnes
- The Fancy Feäir At Maïden Newton by William Barnes
- The Fall by William Barnes
- The Evenèn Star O’ Zummer by William Barnes
- The Echo by William Barnes
- The Dree Woaks by William Barnes
- The Drèven O’ The Common by William Barnes
- The Do’set Militia by William Barnes
- The Common A-Took In by William Barnes
- The Clote (Water-Lily) by William Barnes
- The Church An’ Happy Zunday by William Barnes
- The Child’s Greäve by William Barnes
- The Child an’ the Mowers by William Barnes
- The Castle Ruins 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.