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:
- Такахама Кёси – Иокогама в утро моего возвращения из Франции
- A Song On The Baths by William Strode
- The Discovery of the Kama Sutra by Raj Arumugam
- “Although no stupid scoffer, I” poem – Alfred Austin
- In Memory Of Eva Gore-Booth And Con Markiewicz by William Butler Yeats
- The Two by W H Auden
- “For where, beneath one’s parent sky” poem – Alfred Austin
- If Only by Mary Etta Metcalf
- Addressed To Miss Macartney, Afterwards Mrs. Greville, On Reading The Prayer For Indifference by William Cowper
- The Hermit poem – Aleister Crowley poems | Poetry Monster
- To Me by William Barnes
- The End by Rabindranath Tagore
- Владимир Набоков – Воскресение мёртвых
- Insights Into History, Culture, & Creativity of Sri Lanka – Explore the Cultural Triangle
- I Have A Rendezvous With Death
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 Fool Rings His Bells by Walter de la Mare
- Tartary by Walter de la Mare
- Sunk Lyonesse by Walter de la Mare
- Some One by Walter de la Mare
- Silver by Walter de la Mare
- Old Susan by Walter de la Mare
- Off the Ground by Walter de la Mare
- November by Walter de la Mare
- Music by Walter de la Mare
- Miss Loo by Walter de la Mare
- Melmillo by Walter de la Mare
- How Sleep the Brave by Walter de la Mare
- Good-bye by Walter de la Mare
- Full Moon by Walter de la Mare
- Fare Well by Walter de la Mare
- Bones by Walter de la Mare
- At Ease by Walter de la Mare
- Alone by Walter de la Mare
- All That’s Past by Walter de la Mare
- Alexander by Walter de la Mare
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.