Because life’s too short to blush,
I keep my blood tucked in.
I won’t be mortified
by what I drive or the flaccid
vivacity of my last dinner party.
I take my cue from statues posing only
in their shoulder pads of snow: all January
you can see them working on their granite tans.
That I woke at an ungainly hour,
stripped of the merchandise that clothed me,
distilled to pure suchness,
means not enough to anyone for me
to confess. I do not suffer
from the excess of taste
that spells embarrassment:
mothers who find their kids unseemly
in their condom earrings,
girls cringing to think
they could be frumpish as their mothers.
Though the late nonerotic Elvis
in his studded gut of jumpsuit
made everybody squeamish, I admit.
Rule one: the King must not elicit pity.
Was the audience afraid of being tainted
–this might rub off on me–
or were they–surrendering–
what a femme word–feeling
solicitous–glimpsing their fragility
in his reversible purples
and unwholesome goldish chains?
At least embarrassment is not an imitation.
It’s intimacy for beginners,
the orgasm no one cares to fake.
I almost admire it. I almost wrote despise.
Copyright ©:
Alice Fulton
A few random poems:
- An Apology for the Bottle Volcanic by Vachel Lindsay
- Жан де Лафонтен – Мельник, Сын его и Осел
- Olney Hymn 53: My Soul Thirsteth For God by William Cowper
- Олег Григорьев – Дождь
- Rain Falls
- Her Story poem – Andrei Voznesensky poems
- Paradise Lost: Book 12 poem – John Milton poems
- Вероника Тушнова – Кто-то в проруби тонет
- Return From Business poem – Aldous Huxley poems | Poetry Monster
- An Excursion Steamer Sunk in the Tay by William Topaz McGonagall
- Remembrance Of by William Wordsworth
- Waking poem – Aldous Huxley poems | Poetry Monster
- Picture of Daniel in the Lion’s Den at Hamilton Palace by William Wordsworth
- The Dregs Of Love poem – Alfred Austin
- Northern Farmer: New Style poem – Lord Alfred Tennyson 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
- Sorrow’s Importunity poem – Alfred Austin
- Songs From “Prince Lucifer” I – Grave-Digger’s Song poem – Alfred Austin
- Songs From “Prince Lucifer” II – Mother-Song poem – Alfred Austin
- Songs From “Prince Lucifer” I – Grave-Digger’s Song poem – Alfred Austin
- Since We Must Die poem – Alfred Austin
- “`Shepherd swains that feed your flocks” poem – Alfred Austin
- Shelley’s Death poem – Alfred Austin
- Shelley’s Death poem – Alfred Austin
- “Sadder than lark when lowering” poem – Alfred Austin
- Sacred And Profane Love poem – Alfred Austin
- “`Roses crimson, roses white” poem – Alfred Austin
- On Returning To England poem – Alfred Austin
- Resignation poem – Alfred Austin
- Primacy Of Mind poem – Alfred Austin
- Primacy Of Mind poem – Alfred Austin
- Polyphemus poem – Alfred Austin
- Poet’s Corner poem – Alfred Austin
- Poet’s Corner poem – Alfred Austin
- Pax Britannica poem – Alfred Austin
- Outside The Village Church poem – Alfred Austin
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