We are a people living in shells and moving
Crablike; reticent, awkward, deeply suspicious;
Watching the world from a corner of half-closed eyelids,
Afraid lest someone show that he hates or loves us,
Afraid lest someone weep in the railway train.

We are coiled and clenched like a foetus clad in armour.
We hold our hearts for fear they fly like eagles.
We grasp our tongues for fear they cry like trumpets.
We listen to our own footsteps. We look both ways
Before we cross the silent empty road.

We are a people easily made uneasy,
Especially wary of praise, of passion, of scarlet
Cloaks, of gesturing hands, of the smiling stranger
In the alien hat who talks to all or the other
In the unfamiliar coat who talks to none.

We are afraid of too-cold thought or too-hot
Blood, of the opening of long-shut shafts or cupboards,
Of light in caves, of X-rays, probes, unclothing
Of emotion, intolerable revelation
Of lust in the light, of love in the palm of the hand.

We are afraid of, one day on a sunny morning,
Meeting ourselves or another without the usual
Outer sheath, the comfortable conversation,
And saying all, all, all we did not mean to,
All, all, all we did not know we meant.

Poetry Monster – Home

A few random poems:

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 

• Robert Burns: The Winter It Is Past: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: To Daunton Me: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Talk Of Him That’s Far Awa: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: The Lad They Ca’Jumpin John: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Duncan Davison : by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Hey, The Dusty Miller: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: How Long And Dreary Is The Night : by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Up In The Morning Early: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Raving Winds Around Her Blowing: I composed these verses on Miss Isabella M’Leod of Raza, alluding to her feelings on the death of her sister, and the still more melancholy death of her sister’s husband, the late Earl of Loudoun, who shot himself out of sheer heart-break at some mortifications he suffered, owing to the deranged state of his finances.-R.B., 1971. by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: My Hoggie: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Stay My Charmer: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: M’Pherson’s Farewell: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: To The Weavers Gin Ye Go: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: I’m O’er Young To Marry Yet: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Clarinda, Mistress Of My Soul: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Go On, Sweet Bird, And Sooth My Care: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Love In The Guise Of Friendship: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Sylvander To Clarinda: Extempore Reply to Verses addressed to the Author by a Lady, under the signature of “Clarinda” and entitled, On Burns saying he ‘had nothing else to do.’ by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: On The Death Of Robert Dundas, Esq., Of Arniston,: Late Lord President of the Court of Session. by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Birthday Ode For 31st December, 1787: by Robert Burns

More external links (open in a new tab):

Russian Commerce Agency

Dealing Monster

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

Poems by Author and Category

The Poetry Repository – an online library of poems, poetry, verse and poetic works