Purgatory
by Maxine Kumin
And suppose the darlings get to Mantua,
suppose they cheat the crypt, what next? Begin
with him, unshaven. Though not, I grant you, a
displeasing cockerel, there’s egg yolk on his chin.
His seedy robe’s aflap, he’s got the rheum.
Poor dear, the cooking lard has smoked her eye.
Another Montague is in the womb
although the first babe’s bottom’s not yet dry.
She scrolls a weekly letter to her Nurse
who dares to send a smock through Balthasar,
and once a month, his father posts a purse.
News from Verona? Always news of war.
Such sour years it takes to right this wrong!
The fifth act runs unconscionably long.
End of the poem
15 random poems
- The End of the Argument by Martina Reisz Newberry
- Ок Мельникова – Гасите звёзды
- 1954 by Sharon Olds
- Factors Affecting the Labor Market – Determination of Wages and The Activities of Trade Unions
- Dedication poem – Lord Alfred Tennyson poems
- Envoi poem – Ezra Pound poems
- The Handsome Heart poem – Gerard Manley Hopkins poems
- For Life and Death of a Poet by Marcin Malek
- Sonnet IV. How Many Bards Gild The Lapses Of Time! poem – John Keats poems
- Иван Мятлев – Наставление Гр[афине] Р[астопчиной]
- The Olympic Girl poem – John Betjeman poems
- Кондратий Рылеев – К N. N. (Когда душа изнемогала)
- I Grieved For Buonaparte by William Wordsworth
- These Are The Clouds by William Butler Yeats
- Olney Hymn 53: My Soul Thirsteth For God by William Cowper
Some external links:
Duckduckgo.com – the alternative in the US
Quant.com – a search engine from France, and also an alternative, at least for Europe
Yandex – the Russian search engine (it’s probably the best search engine for image searches).
