 | More Poetry from Bukowski |
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so you want to be a writer? ~ 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.
***
You may recall that it was a poem by Mr. Bukowski which inspired me to create the PSOetry category for this blog. Not easy to figure out why, is it? He is frickin’ awesome. And did you know that the screenplay for the movie, Barfly, was written by Bukowski and he based Mickey O’Rourke’s character on himself? Oh, yeah, baby. The world is, indeed, a fun place.
xo, Angela
I know this poem speaks to your heart. Thank you for sharing it.
I actually met Bukowski back in the 80’s. He took no bunk, called it as he saw it and was also very humorous. At least he was that night, although the lot of us were three sheets to the wind. I’ve been a fan of his writing ever since.
The world is a fun place mostly cuz of you. Part of you is the art you share orally and in blogkind. Bless you.
Poetry about passion….of the most fundamental kind. It is truly a gift when you are chosen to create something special and you cannot rest until it is born. Thank you Angela for sharing this moving poem.
Well said, science nerd. Ditto, Jeremy. A great poem that speaks volumes about our little blog-mistress.
This blog is always a suprise and always interesting. I look forward to logging on somedays just so I can get to Zen Fetish and see what is new.
With much appreciation, Mr. Smith.
“Unless it comes out of your soul like a rocket …” Does this remind anyone besides me of our Angela’s own poetry?
I was going to comment on this, but the comment didn’t come bursting out of me like a rocket, so I refrained.