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After posting a Bukowski inspired tattoo last week, I read some more of his poems. This one caught my attention.
Be Kind – Charles Bukowski
we are always asked
to understand the other person’s
viewpoint
no matter how
out-dated
foolish or
obnoxious.
one is asked
to view
their total error
their life-waste
with
kindliness,
especially if they are
aged.
but age is the total of
our doing.
they have aged
badly
because they have
lived
out of focus,
they have refused to
see.
not their fault?
whose fault?
mine?
I am asked to hide
my viewpoint
from them
for fear of their
fear.
age is no crime
but the shame
of a deliberately
wasted
life
among so many
deliberately
wasted
lives
is.
bahhhh Bukowski melts my heart. My fav poem by him is called ‘to the whore who took my poems.’ There is video of him reading it on youtube somewhere.
nom nom nom
Now, that poem is thought-provoking.
Bukowski is behind the counter at the local used bookstore where I like to look for poetry books. I’ll have to ask to look the next time I go there
.
Some people definitely don’t age very well (i.e. becoming more opinated, and not necessarily in a good way, rather than “wiser”) and Bukowski points this out so well here.
loved it! thanks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSo9_iVc9Cs
It makes me want to find more from the author. Now I understand why so many people love his work.
I posted a link to a Bukowski poem on Twitter yesterday. I have recently discovered him. The poem was “blasted apart with
the first breath”… I love the stanza:
and
what was worst:
not that we wasted it
but that it was wasted
on us
makes more sense in the context of the poem of course. Brilliant.
I saw that!!! I was going to post it, but then I came across this one. Do you still have the link?
Yep http://www.bach-bukowski.nl/paginas/txt%20blasted.html
I loved this poem! Definitely reminded me of a particular person in my life. Beautiful, I have never heard of Bukowski, so looks like I’ll need to read some more!
I need to find some more of his work too. I’m going to try to find some of his work at the library