A poem by Alan Dugan
As an American traveler I have
to remember not to get actionably mad
about the way things are around here.
Tomorrow I’ll be a thousand miles away
from the way it is around here. I will
keep my temper, I will not kill the dog
next door, nor will I kill the next-door wife,
both of whom are crazy and aggressive
and think they live at the center of culture
like everyone else in this college town.
This is because I’m leaving, I’m taking off
by car, by light plane, by jet, by taxicab,
for some place else a thousand miles away,
so I caution myself: control your rage,
even if it causes a slight heart attack.
Stay out of jail tonight before you leave,
and don’t get obstreperous in transit tomorrow
so as to stay out of jail on arrival tomorrow night.
Think: the new handcuffs are sharp inside
and meant to cut the wrists. You’re not too old
to be raped in their filthy overcrowded jails
and you’ll lose your glasses and false teeth.
How would you eat, study and be
a traveling lecturer if you got out alive and sane?
So remember to leave this place peacefully,
it’s only Asshole State University at Nowheresville,
and remember to get to the next place peacefully,
it’s only Nowhere State University at Assholesville
and you must travel from place to place for food and shelter.
A few random poems:
- Владимир Бенедиктов – Вы с Музой свадьбу золотую
- Aeolian Harp by William Allingham
- “Beyond the pasture’s withered bents ” poem – Alfred Austin
- Жан де Лафонтен – Смерть и Несчастный
- Before the white chrysanthemum by Yosa Buson
- Song—Farewell to the Highlands by Robert Burns
- The Lonely Climber: A Seed Poem by Mike Yuan
- The Answer by Rudyard Kipling
- Mr. William Smellie: A Sketch by Robert Burns
- Владимир Вишневский – Заявка на романс
- Нина Воронель – Мудрая стерва природа
- Владимир Маяковский – Рабочий, ты читал СНК наказ?.. (Главполитпросвет №292)
- Николай Карамзин – Эпитафия Джону Гею
- Sunflowers by Martin Willitts Jr.
- The Fairies Break Their Dances by A. E. Housman
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
- Вероника Тушнова – Кто-то в проруби тонет
- Вероника Тушнова – Костер
- Вероника Тушнова – Звезда
- Вероника Тушнова – Знаешь ли ты, что такое горе
- Вероника Тушнова – Зеркало
- Вероника Тушнова – Яблоки
- Вероника Тушнова – Я стою у открытой двери
- Вероника Тушнова – Я поняла, ты не хотел мне зла
- Вероника Тушнова – Я поднимаюсь по колючим склонам
- Вероника Тушнова – Я одна тебя любить умею
- Вероника Тушнова – В чем отказала я тебе
- Вероника Тушнова – Утро (Вся ночь без сна)
- Вероника Тушнова – У всех бывают слабости минуты
- Вероника Тушнова – У каждого есть в жизни хоть одно,
- Вероника Тушнова – Ты все еще тревожишься — что будет
- Вероника Тушнова – Ты не любишь считать облака
- Вероника Тушнова – Ты любил, и я тебя любила
- Вероника Тушнова – Твои глаза
- Вероника Тушнова – Тропа, петляя и пыля
- Вероника Тушнова – Тень
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
Alan Dugan (1923 – 2003) an American poet, a contemporary classic of American poetry.