I Met A Genius
Charles Bukowski
I met a genius on the train
today
about 6 years old,
he sat beside me
and as the train
ran down along the coast
we came to the ocean
and then he looked at me
and said,
it's not pretty.
it was the first time I'd
realized
that.
a smile to remember
Charles Bukowski
we had goldfish and they circled around and around
in the bowl on the table near the heavy drapes
covering the picture window and
my mother, always smiling, wanting us all
to be happy, told me, "be happy Henry!"
and she was right: it's better to be happy if you
can
but my father continued to beat her and me several times a week while
raging inside his 6-foot-two frame because he couldn't
understand what was attacking him from within.
my mother, poor fish,
wanting to be happy, beaten two or three times a
week, telling me to be happy: "Henry, smile!
why don't you ever smile?"
and then she would smile, to show me how, and it was the
saddest smile I ever saw
one day the goldfish died, all five of them,
they floated on the water, on their sides, their
eyes still open,
and when my father got home he threw them to the cat
there on the kitchen floor and we watched as my mother
smiled
I don't understand the concluding line
Thanks Ashley, I already commented on yours
Charles Bukowski is a well respected American poet, someone I respect immensely, yet, someone here can use his image and portray him as an idiot.
Let's respect the man.
I'm making a selfish move.
You better not do this to anyone else.
I don't really care what you do.
A precident has to be set here.
It scares the hell out of me that some idiot can use my name when I'm dead, and make a mockery of my work!
Bukowski would not approve of your "work".
So I can't spell.....
Leonard C.
Hallelujuh!
I will continue working for my comrades.
You must stop.
I am giving this rant a few more min.
Please have respect for those who are not with us.
No one cares. Respect is the ultimate minute of recognition.(spelling?)
You don't have to worry about this.
Who will you serve?
The question is right above mine, yet I am not allowed to view it. WHY?
How is this done?
This is stupidity. This is not Lenny. Why is he so upset about an idiot on here?
He's a
U2
my wife called me to the phone.
"it's Bono calling from Ireland," she said.
I picked up the receiver.
"hey, Sonny, you still with Cher?"
we didn't talk long
after
that.
Charles Bukowski
That's alright, Matt.
I'm sure many people don't like it.
Raw With Love
little dark girl with
kind eyes
when it comes time to
use the knife
I won't flinch and
I won't blame
you,
as I drive along the shore alone
as the palms wave,
the ugly heavy palms,
as the living does not arrive
as the dead do not leave,
I won't blame you,
instead
I will remember the kisses
our lips raw with love
and how you gave me
everything you had
and how I
offered you what was left of
me,
and I will remember your small room
the feel of you
the light in the window
your records
your books
our morning coffee
our noons our nights
our bodies spilled together
sleeping
the tiny flowing currents
immediate and forever
your leg my leg
your arm my arm
your smile and the warmth
of you
who made me laugh
again.
little dark girl with kind eyes
you have no
knife. the knife is
mine and I won't use it
yet.
Charles Bukowski
schultzie-
I'm not sure, either.
Fantastic reaction and interpretation of this piece.
Hi I need to get Chrsitmas presents for my dad and stepmom by Friday (that is when I am going over their house for Christmas).
My dad is kind of hard to buy for...
He is an English teacher so he loves to read...he also like movies a lot (any kind really). I was trying to think of books he would like but I don't know. Some of his favorites are "Into the Wild", "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", and stuff like that. He also reads a lot of Charles Bukowski. He also likes music a lot - The Beatles, Elvis Costello, Sinatra, and others.
My stepmom really is into comedies. She really likes tv shows like "The Office", "SNL", and "30 Rock". She LOVES "Seinfeld"!! The problem is she already has the entire series on DVD. She is a math teacher but I don't know if that will help at all :)
Does anyone have any ideas?
I'm a sophomore in college and I have a rather large book collection. Im looking for something new to read. I love Cormac McCarthy, Hunter S Thompson, Vonnegut, and Steinbeck. Any recommendations that are similar to them or that are just good would be appreciated.
Favorite Authors Include But Are Not Limited To:
Douglas Adams
Jules Verne
Chuck Klosterman
William Faulkner
Ken Kesey
George Orwell
H.G. Wells
Ray Bradbury
Jose Saramago
J.R.R. Tolkien
J.K. Rowling
John Grisham
Oscar Wilde
Joseph Conrad
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Henry David Thoreau
Graham Greene
Ernest Hemingway
Jack Kerouac
Chuck Palahniuk
Charles Bukowski
Nick Hornby
I'm to old for this new high school girls trend. thanks tho.
^
Referring to Twilight.
Reading is one of my many hobbies. I LOVE reading, however I've read all of the books I can think of and I am not getting into the ones I have recently bought. Right now on my list of books to get I have Choke by Chuck Palahniuk, anything David Sedaris, Thing of Beauty(the biography of Gia Carangi), Are You There Vodka, Its me Chelsea, and Like Water For Chocolate. I'm really into memoirs of depression and books that don't always end in the typical happy way. My favorite books are Running With Scissors and Prozac Nation. I have already pretty much read everything else Augusten Burroughs. I'm sort of interested in books by Charles Bukowski but I'm not sure if they're a good read...Any opinions? Okay well hopefully I have provided a substantial amount of information to get some help finding books to read.
Charles Bukowski(1920-1997) -in a nutshell-was an American writer,considered part of the literary movement called 'Dirty Realism'.His novels,poems and short stories deal with the downbeat side of life,the lower class,and his hobbies(?)-(lol,drinking,writing,whatever).
I had a book of his- it was a collection of some of his short stories,that I'd been reading during a trip to Scotland two years ago.He certainly was very special.A friend abhors him- she thinks of him as crude,disgusting and depressing; I think that's mildly entertaining,but I can see where she's coming from I guess-then again,she detests 'grit-lit'.
Important works that I know of include:
Pulp
Tales Of Ordinary Madness
Crucifix in a Deathhand
Notes of A Dirty Old Man
Are you familiar with any of his works?If yes,what do you think?
What the heck is wrong with this question,haha.
He has "Don't Try" written on his gravestone?Ah,alrighty...
dog
is much admired by Man
because he believes in
the hand which feeds
him. a
perfect
setup. for
13 cents a
day you've got
a hired killer
who thinks
you are
God. a
dog can't tell a Nazi from a
Republican from a Commie from
a Democrat. and, many times,
neither can I.
Charles Bukowski
A simple as this poem may seem, I'm torn between TD's take on this, and then the obvious.
Does man admire "dog" because it will follow blindly, regardless of consequence? Or because "dog" will follow blindly.....regardless of consequence?
Sister, you've proven you DO "get this stuff."
She Said
by Charles Bukowski
what are you doing with all those paper
napkins in your car?
we dont have napkins like
that
how come your car radio is
always turned to some
rock and roll station?do you drive around with
some
young thing?
you're
dripping tangerine
juice on the floor.
whenever you go into
the kitchen
this towel gets
wet and dirty,
why is that?
when you let my
bathwater run
you never
clean the
tub first.
why don't you
put your toothbrush
back
in the rack?
you should always
dry your razor
sometimes
I think
you hate
my cat.
Martha says
you were
downstairs
sitting with her
and you
had your
pants off.
you shouldn't wear
those
$100 shoes in
the garden
and you don't keep
track
of what you
plant out there
that's
dumb
you must always
set the cat's bowl back
in
the same place.
don't
bake fish
in a frying
pan...
I never saw
anybody
harder on the
brakes of their
car
than you.
let's go
to a
movie.
listen what's
wrong with you?
you act
depressed.
----------------------------
You tell me.
Oh no, I know poems don't have to rhyme.
I just saw a comment on someone's poem recently that said "Oh my god, it doesn't rhyme!"
I just wanted to prove otherwise.
I love Bukowski.
Charles Bukowski (literary genius and one of my heroes!) reciting some of his poetry with Led Zeppelin as a backing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu0zivmnpzY
William S. Burroughs with Ministry... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lVBaHuM6Tg
Will Self and Bomb the Bass on their '5ml Barrel' tune... unfortunately i can't find a clip for this. it's what inspired this q in the first place... Self's deadpan voice reciting his prose over a cool trip- hoppy tune...
... so do you know anything similar? not 'singing' but speaking/reciting prose/poetry/lyrics whatever?
could be official releases, bootlegs, mash-ups or even something daft made up on youtube. provide links if you can!
wow, great answers guys n gals! i wasn't sure if i was going to get any at all! thanks!
here's one of my favorites by him-
Bluebird
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he’s
in there.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he’s singing a little
in there, I haven’t quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?
- Charles Bukowski
This requires a little prefacing. I've noticed that there is a split, much the same as there is in the art community, on whether it is the intent, or the product that matters. For this reason I'm writing an experimental poem. So here's the rub down.
Charles Bukowski, arguably the best poet in the last 50 years once wrote a poem. In this poem, he made the statement that any poem with the word "Cicada" in what would be viewed as a masterpiece and be published. For that reason I present this poem. Enjoy.
Tribute to Charles Bukowski
Cicada
By now my point should be served.
Intent does not define poetry.
I know I've read it in one of his books before but I can't remember. Any time you type in Bukowski and Nirvana, you get his book Slouching Toward Nirvana.
Anyone ever read Charles Bukowski?
yeah, I don't think it has to be pretty either.
I just got s lot of negative comments about my peom because it grossed some people out and I thought maybe I needed a new forum. Good to know some people are on my "wave length"
Some People
some people never go crazy.
me, sometimes I'll lie down behind the couch
for 3 or 4 days.
they'll find me there.
it's Cherub, they'll say, and
they pour wine down my throat
rub my chest
sprinkle me with oils.
then, I'll rise with a roar,
rant, rage -
curse them and the universe
as I send them scattering over the
lawn.
I'll feel much better,
sit down to toast and eggs,
hum a little tune,
suddenly become as lovable as a
pink
overfed whale.
some people never go crazy.
what truly horrible lives
they must lead.
Charles Bukowski
...is the irony of a poem that on it's surface is hopeless, yet you finish it and get an odd feeling of confidence, and you're smiling.
What does this Bukowski poem do for you?
The Blackbirds Are Rough Today
lonely as a dry and used orchard
spread over the earth
for use and surrender.
shot down like an ex-pug selling
dailies on the corner.
taken by tears like
an aging chorus girl
who has gotten her last check.
a hanky is in order your lord your
worship.
the blackbirds are rough today
like
ingrown toenails
in an overnight
jail---
wine wine whine,
the blackbirds run around and
fly around
harping about
Spanish melodies and bones.
and everywhere is
nowhere---
the dream is as bad as
flapjacks and flat tires:
why do we go on
with our minds and
pockets full of
dust
like a bad boy just out of
school---
you tell
me,
you who were a hero in some
revolution
you who teach children
you who drink with calmness
you who own large homes
and walk in gardens
you who have killed a man and own a
beautiful wife
you tell me
why I am on fire like old dry
garbage.
we might surely have some interesting
correspondence.
it will keep the mailman busy.
and the butterflies and ants and bridges and
cemeteries
the rocket-makers and dogs and garage mechanics
will still go on a
while
until we run out of stamps
and/or
ideas.
don't be ashamed of
anything; I guess God meant it all
like
locks on
doors.
Charles Bukowski
After posting that, I read it and it was like the first time....so much there...
"Charlie" is dead.
Maybe "muse" is the wrong notion here; maybe "inspiration" is better...
When I need some of that ^^^^, I read this poem by Charles Bukowski and tear it apart and to pieces and realize just how very simple and very good it is.....
Consummation Of Grief
I even hear the mountains
the way they laugh
up and down their blue sides
and down in the water
the fish cry
and the water
is their tears.
I listen to the water
on nights I drink away
and the sadness becomes so great
I hear it in my clock
it becomes knobs upon my dresser
it becomes paper on the floor
it becomes a shoehorn
a laundry ticket
it becomes
cigarette smoke
climbing a chapel of dark vines . . .
it matters little
very little love is not so bad
or very little life
what counts
is waiting on walls
I was born for this
I was born to hustle roses down the avenues of the dead.
Charles Bukowski
I've read that poem a hundred times and I learn something new everytime.
Inspired, I am.
Can anyone suggest a book that resemble Bukowski's way of writing? Ive read most of his book and honestly , I think it is repetitive. Dont get me wrong , I like the way he writes and some of his books(ham on rye & post office)but Im looking for something similar but doesnt talk about sex and drinking every 3 lines like Bukowski did. I hope you guys and girls understand what Im trying to say. Thanks
The first poem is of the type I grew up forced to read, and it put me off for a long while.
The second poem is of the type I stumbled upon, and it opened up everything.
Did you have a moment when you knew?
Afternoon on a Hill
I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
I will look at cliffs and clouds
With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
And the grass rise.
And when lights begin to show
Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
And then start down!
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Pull A String, A Puppet Moves
each man must realize
that it can all disappear very
quickly:
the cat, the woman, the job,
the front tire,
the bed, the walls, the
room; all our necessities
including love,
rest on foundations of sand -
and any given cause,
no matter how unrelated:
the death of a boy in Hong Kong
or a blizzard in Omaha ...
can serve as your undoing.
all your chinaware crashing to the
kitchen floor, your girl will enter
and you'll be standing, drunk,
in the center of it and she'll ask:
my god, what's the matter?
and you'll answer: I don't know,
I don't know ...
Charles Bukowski
Having done loads of different jobs all my life, i think bukowski is absolutely on the button about the wage slave mentality and the mind numbing dullness of most work. He's the poet for the downtrodden and his work such as post office and ham on rye, seems more pertinent now than ever - what do you think?
Okay, I'd like to read some Bukowski, but I have no idea where to start. I haven't read any, and I'd like to hear your recommendations for Bukowski's best work with which to start. Could you recommend his best novel, collection of poems, and collection of short stories? Thanks.
Why do you think that Bukowski wrote about women in sometimes negative or only in sexual ways?
I never know how to explain him to other people. How would you?
Im a woman that loves reading Bukowski mostly because he says things how they are. I've read Pulp, Women, South of No North, Ham on Rye, and Hot Water Music and plan on continuing.
do you think its just a way to make his writing more interesting? because I had no idea he had a wife and a child until I watched a documentry on him. It just made me wonder
Hamsun's Hunger and The Rest
At night it’s
usually Bukowski, maybe
something from the local
editorial section
but lately I can’t seem to shake
Hamsun’s Inger, the harelip,
the dead baby
the Nazi threat that never
quite made sense
to me, the fear of Hunger
the want to write
my own
fears, and Charles
says sure and sure
And they all speak of madness
And bluebirds
And madness again
and I roll over and
MAD magazine
Seems like a good idea gone
bad, and I dream of Inger
with a million
dead babies
and
a perfect set
of lips,
and morning finally
comes, alone,
and weary.
~~~~DPM~~~~
i have read and reread everything i own multiple times, my favorite authors are chuck palahniuk, steven king, anne rice, kurt vonnegut, charles bukowski, patricia cornwell and stephenie meyer. i like lots of other stuff too and i own pretty much everything by the authors i listed above. so please share with me your favorite books and authors, or any random thing you think i might like. thanks!
thanks for all your suggestions but they all seem to be vampire books or murder mysteries. i am in no means complaining but if anyone has suggestions for different types of books i would appreciate it. i like satire and i like dark humor also.(things similar to vonnegut or palahniuk)
My ex boyfriend whom I still live with and am going through one of those phases where we are trying to see if we need to walk or way or stick it out because it seem as right as it does wrong.
He calls me Lydia from "Women"
How do you interpret it when you think about them in the novel. The love/hate... everything. She seems so important but isn't with him in the end... is she the one that got away?... Does my ex not want to let me be the Lydia that slips away (despite our vicious cycle of love and hate) lol
Please leave your opinion... I have searched all over the internet but can't find any message or dicussion boards for "Women"
Thank you in advance :)
This poem speaks for all of us writers, i'm not a big fan of his poetry, but this poem in particular is true for all of us writers.
So You Want To Be A Writer by Charles Bukowski
if it doesn't come bursting out of you
in spite of everything,
don't do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
and your gut,
don't do it.
if you have to sit for hours
staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your
typewriter
searching for words,
don't do it.
if you're doing it for money or
fame,
don't do it.
if you're doing it because you want
women in your bed,
don't do it.
if you have to sit there and
rewrite it again and again,
don't do it.
if it's hard work just thinking about doing it,
don't do it.
if you're trying to write like somebody
else,
forget about it.
if you have to wait for it to roar out of
you,
then wait patiently.
if it never does roar out of you,
do something else.
if you first have to read it to your wife
or your girlfriend or your boyfriend
or your parents or to anybody at all,
you're not ready.
don't be like so many writers,
don't be like so many thousands of
people who call themselves writers,
don't be dull and boring and
pretentious, don't be consumed with self-
love.
the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to
sleep
over your kind.
don't add to that.
don't do it.
unless it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder,
don't do it.
unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don't do it.
when it is truly time,
and if you have been chosen,
it will do it by
itself and it will keep on doing it
until you die or it dies in you.
there is no other way.
and there never was.
lol Mixtli
I think Charles is just saying...writing should come from the heart.
... Running with Scissors, etc. I didn't like Twilight. I'm looking for a book to read on a long flight. I'm a teen by the way. Should I read Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski?
I've also read and liked the Perks of Being a Wallflower, Go Ask Alice, and Crank too.
and Speak, The Outsiders, and the Catcher in the Rye
I've only taken a true risk once (quit a job on the spot). I really haven't ever taken romantic risks in life, because I feel I would be emotionally destroyed if I did. That is, until I read this Charles Bukowski poem. What do you think of the poem's philosophy?
Roll the Dice
if you’re going to try, go all the way. otherwise, don’t even start.
if you’re going to try, go all the way. this could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives, jobs and maybe your mind.
go all the way. it could mean not eating for 3 or 4 days.
it could mean freezing on a park bench. it could mean jail,
it could mean derision, mockery, isolation. isolation is the gift,
all the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. and you’ll do it despite rejection and the worst odds and it will be better than anything else you can magine. if you’re going to try, go all the way. there is no other feeling like that. you will be alone with the gods and the nights
CONT'D:
will flame with
fire.
do it, do it, do it.
do it.
all the way all the way.
you will ride life straight to perfect laughter, its the only good fight
there is.
Don't you feel you could ruin your life & others if you follow this philosophy? Or, do you believe in the philosophy that you only live once?
I'm fascinated by this poem of his. I don't know much about Charles, though. I wonder if he lived and believed in the philosophy of this poem? Was he a happy man? Do you believe in this poem's meaning? I have never taken big risks, so I can't say if I would be happy if I did make such dangerous moves. These actions could cause hurt & pain, to yourself & others. Let me know what you think of this poem & Charles. Thx!
roll the dice
if you’re going to try, go all the way otherwise, don’t even start if you’re going to try, go all the way. this could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives, jobs and maybe your mind. go all the way.it could mean not eating for 3 or 4 days. it could mean freezing on a park bench. it could mean jail, it could mean derision, mockery, isolation. isolation is the gift, all the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. and you’ll do it. despite rejection and the worst odds an
anything else you can imagine. CONT'D:
CONT'D: if you’re going to try, go all the way. there is no other feeling like
that. you will be alone with the gods
and the nights will flame with
fire.
do it, do it, do it.
do it.
all the way
all the way.
you will ride life straight to
perfect laughter, its
the only good fight
there is.
Charles Bukowski (Poems & Plays, 1997)
I'm trying to compile a list of about 100 books to read within the next year, and I honestly don't know where to start! There's so many good ones out there, but I am horrible at searching for books. I'm looking for mainly classics, although new releases are acceptable.
I'm a teen, and all of the books that are suggested to me by family members and teachers are usually horrible and... crap. And the teen section is no good, because it's filled with vampires or teenage drama books!
Some of my favorite authors are Charles Bukowski, George Orwell... satire is a favorite topic of mine as well!
He worked at the post-office and wrote when he could, but one gets the impression he would have been unable to build much of a writing career if he hadn't found stable employment. Would he have fallen through the cracks, so-to-speak?
I read Post Office by Charles Bukowski and thought it was great. I'm looking for recommendations of good books along these lines, other than Bukowski's other work. Maybe something a little less racey, i need it for a report for school. If not than thats fine, as long as it is good.
There's a Yahoobird in my heart that
wants to fly out
but I'm too afraid for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.
there's a Yahoobird in my heart that
wants to fly out
but I pour Absolute vodka on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the Trolls and the Reporters
and the contact list
never know that
he's
in there.
there's a Yahoobird in my heart that
wants to fly out
but I'm too afraid for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
it all up?
you want to screw up this
account?
you want to blow my point score in
Polls and Surveys?
there's a Yahoobird in my heart that
wants to fly out
but I'm too clever, I only let him soar
at night sometimes
when everybody's asleep.
I say, so good that you're out there,
so don't be
sad.
when I put you back,
but he's singing a little
in there, I haven't quite let him
die
and we laugh together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it's nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I won't
weep, will
you?
quoting Charles Bukowski...
luca23: are you kidding me? your mom dated him? no way!
uncle thesis. accurate in what way? it is just a way to put it. just want to hear your opinion on this
I love him like I love his writing style: very candid, very raw and straight forward. His poetry is good too - he's one of the few modern poets I've read (and bear in mind that I have read few) who isn't stuck in the Romantic period. One of the reasons why I like Bukowski is because he wrote about a life which is very unfashionable: he was a bum, a womanizer and alcoholic.
There is a poem from the point of view of Bukowski or someone that is supposed to be him. I can't remember the author. Anyone know what I'm talking about?
I'm trying to find the exact quote from Charles Bukowski that goes along the lines of "Voting for the presidential candidate that reminds you most of yourself"
Help.
It could be a novel about the band or any novel/author that they mention in their music.
Some examples:
Senses Fail's album Let It Enfold You was named after a poem by Charles Bukowski. After that, I began reading Bukowski's work and love it.
Elliott Smith's Either/Or was named after a Søren Kierkegaard book which was great as well.
The only book I ever remember my father reading was No One Here Gets Out Alive, the first biography of Jim Morrison.
And you?
goodnightgoodmorning- I never read the Autumn de Wilde book, but I did read the Benjamin Nugent biography Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing and that was pretty cool.
Daft- Thanks for the advice, I'll have to check that out.
My favorite genre is fiction. I like when the novels are character driven. I'm in my mid 20's, if that helps.
My favorite books are:
Stranger in a Strange Land.
Enders Game.
The Twilight Series. (I know it's for teens, but I still love it.)
Franny and Zooey.
The Great Divorce.
The Chronicles of Narnia, particularly The Magician's Nephew.
And I also enjoy a number of Charles Bukowski's writings.