a poem in the style of charles bukowski

[TheFifthElement]

(loosely!)

a poem in the style of charles bukowski

the first time we met
was in starbucks
I was slumped in
a chair reading

charles bukowski

you said
"what are you reading"

I said

"bukowski"

"no need for that"
you said.

[Virgil]

Hahahaha. That pretty much sums up Bukowski. :D

[firefangled]

(loosely!)

a poem in the style of charles bukowski

the first time we met
was in starbucks
I was slumped in
a chair reading

charles bukowski

you said
"what are you reading"

I said

"charles bukowski"

"no need for that"
you said.

LOL!!!:lol: You have to see his interview with Mimi Leder. Some video store have it here.

[TheFifthElement]

Thanks both, I'm glad it brought a smile :)

*edit* I have made a slight amendment, 'cos it was wrong, wrong, wrong!

[blp]

I say we all have a go:

The scumsucking, sourfaced, bloodless madhouse creeps who educated me

devoted considerable time and energy to the project
putting particular didactic vigour into
trying to make me feel stupid
trying to make me feel scared
trying to make me feel evil and
trying to make me feel like a worthless waste product
of the American system
who would never amount to a goddamn thing
except fuel to be used up as factory fodder
and reinforced all these valuable lessons
by regularly excluding me from the class
and/or toughening the hide on my backside
with frequent
bloodletting
applications of the strap

All this for my
betterment
and
moral edification
you understand and, you know,
the rib-rattling, piss-your-pants joke of it is,
apparently by accident,
these pious sadists,
by teaching all those books they'd been told they ought to
gave me the language to question their bullsh*t
and an army of freedom fighting friends to range against them
and the ability to understand the irony of the whole thing
And for that,
Miss Lemonbreath, Mr. Cheeseturd, Sister Dyspepsia and Father Sexualache,
I will be
forever in your debt.

[ampoule]

blp, what a powerful message about teaching. I think this should be hung in every teachers' lounge or better yet, they should be forced to read it and sign some sort of pledge. I think the goal of some teachers is to break a child's spirit. I'm glad yours was not. On the hand, the realization that you came to reminds me of that Johnny Cash song, A Boy Named Sue, named so to make him tough. My seventh grade English teacher, Miss Hornbuckle was as mean as a snake (no offense to snakes) but I have listed her as a favorite teacher many times now that I am an adult.

I'm also curious why you posted it here and not in its own thread.

[CdnReader]

(loosely!)

a poem in the style of charles bukowski

the first time we met
was in starbucks
I was slumped in
a chair reading

charles bukowski

you said
"what are you reading"

I said

"charles bukowski"

"no need for that"
you said.

This cracked me up, Fifth. Well done!!! :lol:

[TheFifthElement]

I say we all have a go:

The scumsucking, sourfaced, bloodless madhouse creeps who educated me

devoted considerable time and energy to the project
putting particular didactic vigour into
trying to make me feel stupid
trying to make me feel scared
trying to make me feel evil and
trying to make me feel like a worthless waste product
of the American system
who would never amount to a goddamn thing
except fuel to be used up as factory fodder
and reinforced all these valuable lessons
by regularly excluding me from the class
and/or toughening the hide on my backside
with frequent
bloodletting
applications of the strap

All this for my
betterment
and
moral edification
you understand and, you know,
the rib-rattling, piss-your-pants joke of it is,
apparently by accident,
these pious sadists,
by teaching all those books they'd been told they ought to
gave me the language to question their bullsh*t
and an army of freedom fighting friends to range against them
and the ability to understand the irony of the whole thing
And for that,
Miss Lemonbreath, Mr. Cheeseturd, Sister Dyspepsia and Father Sexualache,
I will be
forever in your debt.

Yeay! Go for it! Let's have more!

[TheFifthElement]

late night tv

an owed to charles bukowski


up again at 1am

flicking through
the channels on
tv

and there’s
celebrity so-and-so
moralising about global warming

and carbon footprints (etc)

whilst simultaneously
advertising their latest
designer-brand
perfume

and I thought

of the pikeys and tramps and bums
huddled outside in

their recycled shoes
and newspaper blankets

and drank
to the
future.

[Pendragon]

Hey Fifth. In respose to this:

The lion sleeps in the sun.
Its nose is on its paws.
It can kill a man.



Man is more than well aware of this.
Man is cunning and crafty.
Man has a masai...


"In the jungle, the quite jungle, the lion sleeps tonight..."

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l108/AbsalomKane/Red.gif

[blp]

blp, what a powerful message about teaching. I think this should be hung in every teachers' lounge or better yet, they should be forced to read it and sign some sort of pledge. I think the goal of some teachers is to break a child's spirit. I'm glad yours was not. On the hand, the realization that you came to reminds me of that Johnny Cash song, A Boy Named Sue, named so to make him tough. My seventh grade English teacher, Miss Hornbuckle was as mean as a snake (no offense to snakes) but I have listed her as a favorite teacher many times now that I am an adult.

I'm also curious why you posted it here and not in its own thread.

Well it really was an attempt to write in the style of Charles Bukowski, though I'm not sure I pulled it off. And, though I had a few rotters overseeing my education at times, most of them weren't in the American system, where I was largely treated pretty well - so it's not autobiographical. I was mainly interested in the irony that really the whole history of human progress is a history of anti-authoritarian questioning - yet once an advance becomes accepted, it will most likely at some point, somewhere, be taught by an authoritarian. So it's less about toughening someone up than the curious double standard of that process - yet allows that it still has the potential, however inadvertently, to let some light in - sort of a case of the road to heaven being paved with bad intentions.

[TheFifthElement]

Hey Fifth. In respose to this:

The lion sleeps in the sun.
Its nose is on its paws.
It can kill a man.



Man is more than well aware of this.
Man is cunning and crafty.
Man has a masai...


"In the jungle, the quite jungle, the lion sleeps tonight..."




He, he, he! I'm glad you like the quote Pen, it comes from a Stevens poem called "Poetry is a Destructive Force" which goes:


Poetry is a Destructive Force

That's what misery is,
Nothing to have at heart.
It is to have or nothing.

It is a thing to have,
A lion, an ox in his breast.
To feel it breathing there.

Corazon, stout dog,
Young ox, bow legged-bear,
He tastes its blood, not spit.

He is like a man
In the body of a violent beast.
Its muscles are his own...

The lion sleeps in the sun.
Its nose is on its paws.
It can kill a man.

[Pensive]

(loosely!)

a poem in the style of charles bukowski

the first time we met
was in starbucks
I was slumped in
a chair reading

charles bukowski

you said
"what are you reading"

I said

"bukowski"

"no need for that"
you said.

:D

Really made me laugh. Thanks! :)

[dibyendra]

(loosely!)

a poem in the style of charles bukowski

the first time we met
was in starbucks
I was slumped in
a chair reading

charles bukowski

you said
"what are you reading"

I said

"bukowski"

"no need for that"
you said.

Lovely poem Fifth and enjoyable one too ! I enjoyed reading this one although I haven't gone through Charles Bukowski's style of writing! :thumbs_up

[TheFifthElement]

Thanks Pensive and dibyendra :)

dibyendra, I too am only recently acquainted with bukowski's style of poetry. It is very harsh, and sparse and, in some cases, only barely resembles poetry! I'll give you an example of a bukowski poem as follows:

shoes

when you're young
a pair of
female
high-heeled shoes
just sitting
alone
in the closet
can fire your
bones;
when you're old
it's just
a pair of shoes
without
anybody
in them
and
just as
well.

I wouldn't say that he's considered to be one of the 'great' poets, but he has a very definite style which is hard to dismiss.

[blp]

I wouldn't say that he's considered to be one of the 'great' poets, but he has a very definite style which is hard to dismiss.

Depends who you talk to really. Anyway, I always liked his stuff, but trying and failing to imitate him is increasing my respect for him.

[TheFifthElement]

Depends who you talk to really. Anyway, I always liked his stuff, but trying and failing to imitate him is increasing my respect for him.

Oh, I agree. I love bukowski, and I've read only a little of his work so far,. He makes it look like he's just thrown words onto the page, but actually his poems are very well constructed. My comment with regard to him not being considered a 'great' poet, is more of a reflection of the fact that if you pick up an anthology, any anthology, you probably won't find a bukowski poem in it, which is, perhaps, a reflection of how his poetry is viewed by the 'establishment'.

I picked up a copy of 'You get so alone at times that it just makes sense', and have been really impressed. I will definitely read more.

[blp]

His books have great titles too:

What ever happened to the happy laughing girl in the red gingham dress?

Burning in Water, Drowning in Flames

I see what you mean about him being left out of anthologies. Says more about the compilers of anthologies than about him really, doesn't it?

[Pensive]

Titles really sound interesting, I want to read these books. :D I do remember reading a few poems by Bukowski on this very forum but the titles have slipped my mind.

[TheFifthElement]

His books have great titles too:

What ever happened to the happy laughing girl in the red gingham dress?

Burning in Water, Drowning in Flames



Yes, or Play the piano drunk like a percussion instrument until the fingers begin the bleed a bit or Love is a dog from hell.


I see what you mean about him being left out of anthologies. Says more about the compilers of anthologies than about him really, doesn't it?

I guess acceptance isn't a sign of greatness, or vice versa.

[AuntShecky]

Did you ever see the movie , Bar Fly? Purportedly it was about Bukowski. It starred Faye Dunaway and Mickey Rourke.

[blp]

Did you ever see the movie , Bar Fly? Purportedly it was about Bukowski. It starred Faye Dunaway and Mickey Rourke.

I thought it was based on one of his books. I saw it and liked it. I especially liked the bit where Dunaway insists on raiding a corn field in her glamorous attire: 'I love corn!' - it's the way she says it, almost in a panic.

There's at least one other film adaptation of Bukowski. I think it's just called Crazy Love. Ah yes. Here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crazy-Love-Josse-Pauw/dp/B00061Q9GC/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/203-5072619-2074322?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1192033572&sr=8-1) we go:

[ampoule]

Oh my gosh. You guys got me started watching all kinds of videos on youtube with Charles reading/reciting his poems, interviews, etc. Thanks fifth, for the introduction. I like him.