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 First Part: Sonnet 12 – Ah! burning thoughts, now let me take some rest, by William Drummond
- Олег Бундур – Под сосной
- Жан де Лафонтен – Волк и Конь
- Ouija by Sylvia Plath
- The Heäre by William Barnes
- To A Girl In A Garden by Sappho
- Василий Лебедев-Кумач – Солнце садится
- Alexander by Walter de la Mare
- New York at Night poem – Amy Lowell poems | Poems and Poetry
- The Ladies by Rudyard Kipling
- Ask Me by William Stafford
- Низами Гянджеви – Искендер-наме – Страница 11 из 15
- A Sunrise Song. by Sidney Lanier
- The Vrost by William Barnes
- Reply to a Trimming Epistle, received from a Tailor by Robert Burns
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
- Олег Бундур – Интересный вопрос
- Олег Бундур – Играю в школьном спектакле
- Олег Бундур – Идем мы с дедом
- Олег Бундур – И до моря 15 шагов
- Олег Бундур – Гроза
- Олег Бундур – Глухарь
- Олег Бундур – Где живут мысли
- Олег Бундур – Февраль
- Олег Бундур – Если вы придёте в лес
- Олег Бундур – Если умываться лень
- Олег Бундур – Эпидемия
- Олег Бундур – Друзья
- Олег Бундур – Дрова
- Олег Бундур – Дождь
- Олег Бундур – Дома
- Олег Бундур – Добрый день
- Олег Бундур – Доброта
- Олег Бундур – Дневник
- Олег Бундур – Для чего бывает день
- Олег Бундур – Деревенская история
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.