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:
- Journey Of Life by Nikhil Srinivas
- Philomela by Sir Philip Sidney
- Parliament Hill Fields by Sylvia Plath
- The Old Maids Story
- Drink To Her by Thomas Moore
- Robert Burns: Canst Thou Leave Me Thus, My Katie:
- Robert Burns: Tam Samson’s Elegy: When this worthy old sportman went out, last muirfowl season, he supposed it was to be, in Ossian’s phrase, “the last of his fields,” and expressed an ardent wish to die and be buried in the muirs. On this hint the author composed his elegy and epitaph.-R.B., 1787.
- Sonnet 03 poem – John Milton poems
- A Carol by Rudyard Kipling
- Жан де Лафонтен – Садовод и Помещик
- Sonnet 150: O from what power hast thou this powerful might by William Shakespeare
- Владимир Маяковский – Врангель (РОСТА №477)
- A Schoolyard Shame by Ryan Isaacson
- The Chant of the Indignant of the World by Sunil Sharma
- Centenarian’s Story, The. by Walt Whitman
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
- How To Raise Money For Your High School Study Abroad Experience
- Computer Cookies: Are They Good or Bad?
- The Best Blues Songs Ever
- The Effects of Chess on Leadership
- Holiday & Travel Guide For Paphos, Cyprus
- Will the SEZ Act Boost Exports?
- Art Therapy and Loss
- Fiction Tips – The Snare of Coincidence
- Interview With Joseph D’Agnese, Author Of Jersey Heat
- Top 5 Furniture Buying Tactics For the Best Purchase
- Chinese Zodiac Signs
- A Brief History of Special Education
- Priorities of Life and Death
- Goals – How to Get Everything You Want by Brian Tracy – Review
- How to Increase Your Faith
- Top Benefits of Wearing Peridot Birthstone
- How to Locate, Hire, and Work With an Article Writer
- Companies See Mobile Games Development As a Profitable Business Option
- Empowering Women in Gambia
- Is Hiring a Resume Writer Really Worth It?
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.