by Alan J. Blaustein
Valhalla
by Alan J. Blaustein
High on West Street walking summer day
Sunlight in my face and to my right
Seeing more the Hudson than the street ahead.
I expected factories parking lots and bars,
Nothing else than pleasant afternoon
And then the wonder stopped me seized my sight.
Valhalla? Yes, it was!
Risen in all magnificence from the street
As proudly massive blocks of—stone.
It instantly awed me reduced me to a speck—
For what great purpose could this be?
Home for a breed of freshly risen gods?
I walked beside amazed and looking up
Until I came upon a massive porch
That stretched before great doors of glass and bronze,
Flanked by pillars, granite guards.
A plaque above the doors, all shining bronze,
Proclaimed the name.
Look what the age of heroes has become,
Look how Odin’s dream has re-emerged,
See how the ordinary conquers all,
How wonder can vanish like a wisp of smoke…
I saw for what my hall of gods was built—
Manhattan Community College!

A few random poems:
- Наум Коржавин – Легкость
- Poema II, “Pañuelos de La Alhambra” by Mara Romero Torres
- Стефан Малларме – Весеннее обновление
- Аля Кудряшева – Тишина
- Unlike, For Example, The Sound Of A Riptooth Saw by Thomas Lux
- Sonnet CXLII by William Shakespeare
- Watching the Bird Watcher by Richard Schiffman
- Ольга Седакова – Прибавления к “Старым песням”
- Song—O can ye Labour Lea? by Robert Burns
- To the Fringed Gentian by William Cullen Bryant
- Requiem for Two by Vinko Kalinić
- A Thing of Beauty (Endymion) poem – John Keats poems
- Reply to the Threat of a Censorious Critic by Robert Burns
- Алексей Плещеев – Ноктюрн
- Robert Burns: Hey, Ca’ Thro’ – Boat song:
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
- Олег Григорьев – Гений
- Олег Григорьев – Футбол
- Олег Григорьев – Если где-то кому-то плачется
- Олег Григорьев – Двустишия
- Олег Григорьев – Дружба
- Олег Григорьев – Драка
- Олег Григорьев – Дождь
- Олег Григорьев – Дети кидали друг в друга поленья
- Олег Григорьев – Дачник
- Олег Григорьев – Четверорукими ногами
- Олег Григорьев – Цель жизни
- Олег Григорьев – Был праздник с весельем и танцами
- Олег Григорьев – Благо
- Олег Григорьев – А меня уж везли зарывать
- Олег Чупров – Взлетев высоко и прекрасно
- Олег Чупров – Вечером поздним потянет к Печоре
- Олег Чупров – В лесу просторно, тихо, ясно
- Олег Чупров – Тают в сумраке лица
- Олег Чупров – Шаньги
- Олег Чупров – Путь к Благодати не напрасен
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