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: Epistle To J. Lapraik, An Old Scottish Bard: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Death and Doctor Hornbook : A True Story by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Tarbolton Lasses, The: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Epitaph On Holy Willie: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Holy Willie’s Prayer: “And send the godly in a pet to pray.” – Pope. by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Epistle To Davie, A Brother Poet: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: The Twa Herds; Or, The Holy Tulyie: An Unco Mournfu’ Tale by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Man Was Made To Mourn: A Dirge: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Lines On The Author’s Death: Written With The Supposed View Of Being Handed To Rankine After The Poet’s Interment by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Epitaph On John Rankine: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: On Tam The Chapman: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Another [Epigram On The Said Occasion… On A Henpecked Country Squire]: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Epigram On The Said Occasion [On A Henpecked Country Squire]: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: Tragic Fragment: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: On A Henpecked Country Squire: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: On A Noisy Polemic: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: The Belles Of Mauchline: by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: My Girl She’s Airy: Fragment by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: The Mauchline Lady: Fragment by Robert Burns
• Robert Burns: O Leave Novels: 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