Internal Migration On Being On Tour

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.

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Bat’s Poetry Page – more poetry by Fledermaus

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Poems in English 

• Halo by Tanisha Avarsekar by Poetry In English
• Grey eyed Goddess by Tanisha Avarsekar by Poetry In English
• Everything ends by Tanisha Avarsekar by Poetry In English
• Damned by Tanisha Avarsekar by Poetry In English
• Compromising my ego by Tanisha Avarsekar by Poetry In English
• Both ways I lose by Tanisha Avarsekar by Poetry In English
• Blue flower by Tanisha Avarsekar by Poetry In English
• Blue eyes by Tanisha Avarsekar by Poetry In English
• Be there for me by Tanisha Avarsekar by Poetry In English
• An ode to you by Tanisha Avarsekar by Poetry In English
• What time are we living in by T. Wignesan by Poetry In English
• Villanelle: Oscar Victorius by T. Wignesan by Poetry In English
• To the author(s) of Manimekalai by T. Wignesan by Poetry In English
• To Don Quixote, Translation of Paul Verlaine’s A Don Quichotte by T. Wignesan. by Poetry In English
• To a woman, Translation of Paul Verlaine’s sonnet: A une femme by T. Wignesan. by Poetry In English
• To a person, they say, frigid, Translation of Paul Verlaine’s poem: A celle que l’on fit froide by T. Wignesan by Poetry In English
• The Virgin Maid of Orleans, Translation of Paul Verlaine’s sonnet: La Pucelle by T. Wignesan. by Poetry In English
• The Evening Soup, Translation of Paul Verlaine’s poem: La Soupe du soir by T. Wignesan by Poetry In English
• Prison Souvenirs, Translation of Paul Verlaine’s poem: Prière by T. Wignesan. by Poetry In English
• Prayer, Translation of Paul Verlaine’s poem: Prière by T. Wignesan. by Poetry In English

More external links (open in a new tab):

Russian Commerce Agency

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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.

 

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