Poems deal with writing, death and immortality, literature, city life, illness, war, and the past.
From Library Journal
"A. Huxley died at 69/ much too early for such a/ fierce talent." Now in his seventh decade, Bukowski is preoccupied with death, but in such a way that he spices his usual flat monotone with bits of welcome humor. While continuing his focus on life in bars and at the racetrack, these poems enlarge the meditative tone begun in You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense ( LJ 1/87). Bukowski remembers the first time he read great authors or heard classical composers; he reflects on old friends, co-workers, and lovers, but with a new gentleness, as in "Darkling," a wonderfully lyric love poem to his wife. Poems such as this make it easier to spot the poetic craft at work behind Bukowski's understated common speech. Finally, the poet's emphasis on reflection and mellowed tone will, one hopes, enlarge the poet's huge but specialized readership. - Rochelle Ratner, formerly Poetry Editor, "Soho Weekly News," New York Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
8 Count Air And Light And Time And Space The Aliens Are You Drinking The Area Of Pause Balloons Batting Order Be Kind Before Aids The Beggars Begging Betrayed Between Races The Big Ride Blasted Apart With The First Breath The Bluebird Bonaparte's Retreat Bright Red Car The Bully Car Wash Celine With Cane And Basket Charles The Lion-hearted Classical Music And Me Companion Confession Cool Black Air Corsage The Creative Act Creative Writing Class Crime And Punishment Cut While Shaving D The Damnation Of Buk Darkling Darkness And Ice Days Like Razors, Nights Full Of Rats Death Is Smoking My Cigars Dinner, 1933 Dinosauria, We Downers Downtown Billy Duck And Forget It The Eagle Of The Heart The Editor Edward Sbragia Elvis Lives Everything You Touch Eyeless Through Space Fan Letter The Feel Of It Finished The Flashing Of The Odds Flat Tire Flophouse Freaky Time The Genius Get Close Enough And You Can't See Going Out A Good Job The Greatest Actor Of Our Day Hand-outs Hangovers Happy Birthday Heat Wave Hell Is A Closed Door Hello, Hamsun Hemingway Never Did This Hock Shops Hold On, It's A Belly Laugh Hunk Of Rock The Idiot Ill In And Out Of The Dark In Error In The Bottom In The Shadow Of The Rose Inactive Volcano The Interviewers An Invitation It's A Shame The Jackals Jam The Lady And The Mountain Lion Last Seat At The End A Laugh A Minute Let Me Tell You The Lost And The Desperate Luck Was Not A Lady The Man With The Beautiful Eyes Moving Toward The 21st Century Mugged My Buddy In Valet Parking At The Race Track My Buddy, The Buddha My First Computer Poem My German Buddy My Uncle Jack Nirvana No More, No Less No Sale Now (1) Off And On Oh, I Was A Ladies' Man The Old Horseplayer Only One Cervantes The Open Canvas The Pack Peace A Poet In New York Poetry Poetry Contest Post Time Pulled Down Shade Question And Answer Recognized The Replacements Rossini, Mozart And Shostakovich The Science Of Physiognomy See Here, You Shock Treatment Shooting The Moon In The Eye Show Biz Sitting With The Ibm Small Cafe Snapshots At The Track The Soldier, The Wife And The Bum Spark Splashing A Strange Day A Suborder Of Naked Buds Such Luck Surprise Time Again Tag Up And Hold The Telephone That I Have Known The Dead Them And Us They Are Everywhere They Don't Eat Like Us This This Rejoinder Those Mornings Torched-out Transport Trollius And Trellises Two Toughs Upon This Time Victory Waiting Wandering In The Cage War Warm Light Washrag We Ain't Got No Money, Honey, But We Got Rain What A Writer Within The Dense Overcast The Word The Writer X-idol You Know And I Know And Thee Know Young In New Orleans Zero -- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®
Description:
Poems deal with writing, death and immortality, literature, city life, illness, war, and the past.
From Library Journal
"A. Huxley died at 69/ much too early for such a/ fierce talent." Now in his seventh decade, Bukowski is preoccupied with death, but in such a way that he spices his usual flat monotone with bits of welcome humor. While continuing his focus on life in bars and at the racetrack, these poems enlarge the meditative tone begun in You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense ( LJ 1/87). Bukowski remembers the first time he read great authors or heard classical composers; he reflects on old friends, co-workers, and lovers, but with a new gentleness, as in "Darkling," a wonderfully lyric love poem to his wife. Poems such as this make it easier to spot the poetic craft at work behind Bukowski's understated common speech. Finally, the poet's emphasis on reflection and mellowed tone will, one hopes, enlarge the poet's huge but specialized readership.
- Rochelle Ratner, formerly Poetry Editor, "Soho Weekly News," New York
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
8 Count
Air And Light And Time And Space
The Aliens
Are You Drinking
The Area Of Pause
Balloons
Batting Order
Be Kind
Before Aids
The Beggars
Begging
Betrayed
Between Races
The Big Ride
Blasted Apart With The First Breath
The Bluebird
Bonaparte's Retreat
Bright Red Car
The Bully
Car Wash
Celine With Cane And Basket
Charles The Lion-hearted
Classical Music And Me
Companion
Confession
Cool Black Air
Corsage
The Creative Act
Creative Writing Class
Crime And Punishment
Cut While Shaving
D
The Damnation Of Buk
Darkling
Darkness And Ice
Days Like Razors, Nights Full Of Rats
Death Is Smoking My Cigars
Dinner, 1933
Dinosauria, We
Downers
Downtown Billy
Duck And Forget It
The Eagle Of The Heart
The Editor
Edward Sbragia
Elvis Lives
Everything You Touch
Eyeless Through Space
Fan Letter
The Feel Of It
Finished
The Flashing Of The Odds
Flat Tire
Flophouse
Freaky Time
The Genius
Get Close Enough And You Can't See
Going Out
A Good Job
The Greatest Actor Of Our Day
Hand-outs
Hangovers
Happy Birthday
Heat Wave
Hell Is A Closed Door
Hello, Hamsun
Hemingway Never Did This
Hock Shops
Hold On, It's A Belly Laugh
Hunk Of Rock
The Idiot
Ill
In And Out Of The Dark
In Error
In The Bottom
In The Shadow Of The Rose
Inactive Volcano
The Interviewers
An Invitation
It's A Shame
The Jackals
Jam
The Lady And The Mountain Lion
Last Seat At The End
A Laugh A Minute
Let Me Tell You
The Lost And The Desperate
Luck Was Not A Lady
The Man With The Beautiful Eyes
Moving Toward The 21st Century
Mugged
My Buddy In Valet Parking At The Race Track
My Buddy, The Buddha
My First Computer Poem
My German Buddy
My Uncle Jack
Nirvana
No More, No Less
No Sale
Now (1)
Off And On
Oh, I Was A Ladies' Man
The Old Horseplayer
Only One Cervantes
The Open Canvas
The Pack
Peace
A Poet In New York
Poetry
Poetry Contest
Post Time
Pulled Down Shade
Question And Answer
Recognized
The Replacements
Rossini, Mozart And Shostakovich
The Science Of Physiognomy
See Here, You
Shock Treatment
Shooting The Moon In The Eye
Show Biz
Sitting With The Ibm
Small Cafe
Snapshots At The Track
The Soldier, The Wife And The Bum
Spark
Splashing
A Strange Day
A Suborder Of Naked Buds
Such Luck
Surprise Time Again
Tag Up And Hold
The Telephone
That I Have Known The Dead
Them And Us
They Are Everywhere
They Don't Eat Like Us
This
This Rejoinder
Those Mornings
Torched-out
Transport
Trollius And Trellises
Two Toughs
Upon This Time
Victory
Waiting
Wandering In The Cage
War
Warm Light
Washrag
We Ain't Got No Money, Honey, But We Got Rain
What A Writer
Within The Dense Overcast
The Word
The Writer
X-idol
You Know And I Know And Thee Know
Young In New Orleans
Zero
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®