A poem by Alec Derwent-Hope (1907–2000)
by Alec Derwent Hope
Reading the menu at the morning service:
– Iced Venusberg perhaps, or buttered bum;
Orders the usual sex-ersatz, and, nervous,
Glances around; Will she or won’t she come?
The congregation dissected into pews
Gulping their strip teas in the luminous cavern
Agape’s sacamental berry stews;
The nickel-plated light and clatter of heaven
Receive him, temporary Tantalus
Into the Lookingglassland’s firescape.
Suckled on Jungfraumilch his eyes discuss,
The werwolf twins, their mock Sabellian rape.
This is their time to reap the standing scorn,
Blonde Rumina’s crop. Beneath her leafless tree
Ripe-rumped she lolls and clasps the plenteous horn.
Cool customers who defy his Trinity
Feel none the less, and thrill, ur-vater Fear
Caged in the son. For, though this ghost behave
Experienced daughters recognize King Leer:
Lot also had his daughters in a cave.
Full sail the proud three-decker sandwiches
With the eye-fumbled priestesses repass;
On their swan lake the enchanted icecreams freeze,
The amorous fountain prickles in the glass
And at the introit of this mass emotion
She comes, she comes, a balanced pillar of blood,
Guides through the desert, divides the sterile ocean,
Brings sceptic Didymus his berserk food,
Sits deftly, folding elegant thighs, and takes
Her time. She skins her little leather hands,
Conscious that wavering towards her like tame snakes
The polyp eyes converge…. The prophet stands
Dreading the answer from her burning bush:
This unconsuming flame, the outlaw’s blow,
Plague, exodus, Sinai, ruptured stones that gush,
God’s telegram: Dare Now! Let this people go!
A few random poems:
- Mother Earth; Her Beauty And Her Destruction by TMBedell
- A Mathematical Problem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Bishop Blougram’s Apology by Robert Browning
- Notice by Steve Kowit
- On the Danger of Procrastination by Abraham Cowley
- Genesis by Vachel Lindsay
- The Taxi poem – Amy Lowell poems | Poems and Poetry
- Владимир Маяковский – Тигр и киса
- Grief by Philip Larkin
- Winter Seascape poem – John Betjeman poems
- A Prayer poem – Amy Levy poems | Poems and Poetry
- Sparrow singing by Yosa Buson
- The Babysitters by Sylvia Plath
- Business Girls poem – John Betjeman poems | Poems and Poetry
- Telescope by Mark R Slaughter
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
- Astrophel and Stella: III by Sir Philip Sidney
- Astrophel and Stella: I by Sir Philip Sidney
- Astrophel And Stella-First Song by Sir Philip Sidney
- To The Honble Commodore Hood on His Pardoning a Deserter by Phillis Wheatley
- To Mrs. Leonard on The Death of Her Husband by Phillis Wheatley
- Phillis Wheatley – Phillis Wheatley
- On The Death of Mr. Snider Murder’d By Richardson by Phillis Wheatley
- On Messrs Hussey and Coffin by Phillis Wheatley
- On Friendship by Phillis Wheatley
- To The Honble Commodore Hood on His Pardoning a Deserter by Phillis Wheatley
- His Excellency General Washington by Phillis Wheatley
- On Friendship by Phillis Wheatley
- America by Phillis Wheatley
- To The University Of Cambridge, In New-England by Phillis Wheatley
- To The Right Honourable William, Earl Of Dartmouth, His Majesty’s Principal Secretary Of The State For North-America, by Phillis Wheatley
- To the Rev. Dr. Thomas Amory by Phillis Wheatley
- To The King’s Most Excellent Majesty by Phillis Wheatley
- To The Honourable T. H. Esq; On the Death Of His Daughter by Phillis Wheatley
- To S.M., A Young African Painter, On Seeing His Works by Phillis Wheatley
- To Mæcenas by Phillis Wheatley
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

Alec Derwent-Hope (1907–2000) was an Australian poet and essayist known for his satirical slant. He was also a critic, teacher and academic.