CHARLES BUKOWSKI

By Shelbylyn Freeman

ABOUT BUKOWSKI:

Born: August 16 1920 Germany

German-born American poet, novelist, and short

story writer

Died: March 9 1994

ALONE WITH EVERYBODY

the flesh covers the bone

and they put a mind

in there and

sometimes a soul,

and the women break

vases against the walls

and the men drink too

much

and nobody finds the

one

but keep

looking

crawling in and out

of beds.

flesh covers

the bone and the

flesh searches

for more than

flesh.

there's no chance at all: we are all trapped by a singular fate.

nobody ever finds the one.

the city dumps fill the junkyards fill the madhouses fill the hospitals fill the graveyards fill

nothing else fills

ANALYSIS1) "Alone With Everybody" is a short but powerful poem. Charles Bukowski captures the emotional torture of loneliness which is

commonly shared between most people. With his intense word choice and usage, Bukowski makes the reader feel lonely just by

reading the poem. He begins with "flesh covers the bone", which we know all humans share in common. He creates this

introduction as sort of a cushion for readers, knowing that they can relate to what is presented.

"there's no chance

at all:

we are all trapped

by a singular

fate.

nobody ever finds the one.

the city dumps fill

the junkyards fill

the madhouses fill

the hospitals fill

the graveyards fill

nothing else

fills.  “ Bukowski is trying to make a connection. He's trying to show that no matter who you are or where you are, there's a part

of you that is alone and that we can't be afraid of being alone.

FOR THE FOXES

don't feel sorry for me.

I am a competent,

satisfied human being.

be sorry for the others

who

fidget

complain

who

constantly

rearrange their

lives

like

furniture.

juggling mates

and

attitudes

their

confusion is

constant

and it will

touchwhoever they deal with.

beware of them:one of theirkey words is"love."

and beware those whoonly takeinstructions from theirGod

for they have failed completely to live their ownlives.

don't feel sorry for mebecause I am alone

for even at the most terriblemomentshumoris my companion.

I am a dog walkingbackwards

I am a brokenbanjo

I am a telephone wirestrung up inToledo, Ohio

I am a maneating a mealthis nightin the month ofSeptember.

put your sympathyaside.they saywater held upChrist:to comethroughyou better benearly aslucky.

ANALYSIS

2)  In Bukowski's "For The Foxes", a lot of symbolism is used to warn

readers about others. Since we live in a world of diverse thinkers and

lifestyles, we should expect the unexpected from each other.

"beware of them: one of their key words is "love." and beware those who only

take instructions from their God" Bukowski shows a different side to his

writing by creating this idea to "watch your back" or be aware of who you

surround yourself with in your life. This is interesting because he's not just

trying to stick some mediocre moral or meaning to his poem. Bukowski is

actually taking the time to create his work to open up readers' minds. "put

your sympathyaside. they say water held up Christ: to come through you

better be nearly as lucky." Bukowski takes a bit of a risk by involving religion

into his writing. I personally see his use of religion as something that he

knows will grab a reader's attention. He wants to take the risks of offending

someone or pissing someone off because that's the risk he's willing to take to

get his point across as an artist.

FOR JANE

225 days under grass

and you know more than I.

they have long taken your blood,

you are a dry stick in a basket.

is this how it works?

in this room

the hours of love

still make shadows.

when you left

you took almost

everything.

I kneel in the nights

before tigers

that will not let me be.

what you were

will not happen again.

the tigers have found me

and I do not care.

ANALYSIS

3) In "For Jane", it is apparent that Bukowski is writing about a death. Beginning

with "225 days under grass and you know more than I. they have long taken your

blood, you are a dry stick in a basket", we can safely assume he is describing a

dead body. With death being such a touchy subject, the somber feelings are

commonly expressed through writing. In this poem, Bukowski does not only

describe his sadness, but also his surrender. "what you were  will not happen

again. the tigers have found me and I do not care. " He uses the symbolism of

tigers, most likely as his emotions because he can not escape them. He's allowing

his sadness to take him because he knows that the death he is experiencing is

something he can't avoid. "I kneel in the nights  before tigers that will not let me

be."

THE LAUGHING HEART

your life is your life

don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.

be on the watch.

there are ways out.

there is light somewhere.

it may not be much light but

it beats the darkness.

be on the watch.

the gods will offer you chances.

know them.

take them.

you can’t beat death but

you can beat death in life, sometimes.

and the more often you learn to do it,

the more light there will be.

your life is your life.

know it while you have it.

you are marvelous

the gods wait to delight

in you.

ANALYSIS

4) "The Laughing Heart", is one of Bukowski's more positive poems. While Bukowski often

writes about death and sadness, this poem provides a message that encourages readers to

take control of their lives. "your life is your life don’t3) In "For Jane", it is apparent that

Bukowski is writing about a death. Beginning with "225 days under grass and you know

more than I. they have long taken your blood, you are a dry stick in a basket", we can safely

assume he is describing a dead body. With death being such a touchy subject, the somber

feelings are commonly expressed through writing. In this poem, Bukowski does not only

describe his sadness, but also his surrender. "what you were  will not happen again. the

tigers have found me and I do not care. " He uses the symbolism of tigers, most likely as his

emotions because he can not escape them. He's allowing his sadness to take him because

he knows that the death he is experiencing is something he can't avoid. "I kneel in the

nights  before tigers that will not let me be." let it be clubbed into dank submission." By

saying "don't let it be clubbed", he uses the phrase to say that you shouldn't let someone

else bring you down because you are the one in control and you are the only one that can

bring your life into a downward spiral. "you can’t beat death but you can beat death in life,

sometimes." When Bukowski brings the theme of death into his poem about life, you can

tell he might not be necessarily talking about actually loss of life, but more like failure.

Death can be used a symbol of defeat, and here he states that it is possible to fight against

death in this form of failure.

A SMILE TO REMEMBER

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

ANALYSIS

5) "A Smile To Remember", gives readers a special

point of view into Bukowski's childhood. In this poem

he talks about the abuse of a father, which is

something Bukowski actually went through when he

was young. The poem repeatedly shows the mother

telling the child to be happy, meanwhile she is going

through the domestic violence of her marriage. But

the child could see his mother was unhappy too and

could tell that all the smiles she wore were fake.

SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER

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.

ANALYSIS

6) "So You Want To Be a Writer" has a very blunt

and straight forward message. In this poem,

Bukowski is being upfront and honest when he says

that if you're not passionate about what you do, don't

do it. Using the example of writing, he goes on to say

that if you aren't dying to write, then you aren't a

true writer. This lessons really goes for not only

writing, but other hobbies and talents people

attempt everyday.,

SAFE

the house next door makes me

sad.

both man and wife rise early and

go to work.

they arrive home in early evening.

they have a young boy and a girl.

by 9 p.m. all the lights in the house

are out.

the next morning both man and

wife rise early again and go to

work.

they return in early evening.

By 9 p.m. all the lights are

out.

the house next door makes me

sad.

the people are nice people, I

like them.

but I feel them drowning.and I can't save them. they are surviving.they are nothomeless. but the price isterrible. sometimes during the dayI will look at the houseand the house will look at meand the house willweep, yes, it does, Ifeel it.

ANALYSIS

7) In the poem "Safe", Bukowski again writes about what it's like to

see people who pretend to be happy as he also

they are not

homeless.“

Bukowski writes about what he sees in his neighbors in this poem. He

sees their houses that look normal and plain and see the people but he

also sees past their fake happiness. It's almost as if he's saying that no

matter how hard we try, we are still sad inside. Bukowski feels the

other peoples' pain and its interesting how he can see past someone

like that.

YES YES

when God created love he didn't help most

when God created dogs He didn't help dogs

when God created plants that was average

when God created hate we had a standard utility

when God created me He created me

when God created the monkey He was asleep

when He created the giraffe He was drunk

when He created narcotics He was high

and when He created suicide He was low

when He created you lying in bed

He knew what He was doing

He was drunk and He was high

and He created the mountians and the sea and fire at the same time

He made some mistakes

but when He created you lying in bed

He came all over His Blessed Universe.

ANALYSIS

8) In "Yes Yes", religion is brought back into Bukowski's

writing. As he's known for not necessarily being a really

religious person, he brings in the subject of God almost in a

joking way or ironic way. It goes into talking about the different

things god did when creating the world we live in. While this

poem was short, it still had a lot that made you think. For

example, what was God really thinking or doing when he

created the sky or the sea or people? Bukowski makes you really

think about different possibility.

THE MOON AND THE STARS AND THE WORLD

Long walks at night--

that's what good for the soul:

peeking into windows

watching tired housewives

trying to fight off

their beer-maddened husbands.

ANALYSIS

9) "And The Moon, And The Stars, And The World" is a very

short poem. Since it's so short, Bukowski really got to the point of

the poem. It ends with "watching tired housewives

trying to fight off  their beer-maddened husbands", which once

again brings in the themes of domestic violence, abuse, and

sexism. He's put a stereotype on the men and the women by

calling them "housewives" and "beer-maddened husbands". This

also brings back the thought of Bukowski's own childhood when

he grew up with abuse in his family.

BEER

I don't know how many bottles of

beer

I have consumed while waiting for

things

to get better

I dont know how much wine and

whisky

and beer

mostly beer

I have consumed after

splits with women-

waiting for the phone to ring

waiting for the sound of footsteps,

and the phone to ring

waiting for the sounds of footsteps,

and the phone never rings

until much later

and the footsteps never arrive

until much later

when my stomach is coming up

out of my mouth

they arrive as fresh as spring flowers:

"what the hell have you done to

yourself?

it will be 3 days before you can fuck

me!"

the female is durableshe lives seven and one half years longerthan the male, and she drinks very little beerbecause she knows its bad for the figure.

while we are going madthey are outdancing and laughingwith horney cowboys.

well, there's beersacks and sacks of empty beer bottlesand when you pick one upthe bottle fall through the wet bottomof the paper sack rollingclankingspilling gray wet ashand stale beer,or the sacks fall over at 4 a.m.in the morningmaking the only sound in your life.

beerrivers and seas of beerthe radio singing love songsas the phone remains silentand the walls standstraight up and downand beer is all there is.

ANALYSIS

10) "Beer" is a little bit more of a derogatory poem.

Throughout this poem, Bukowski describes beer and

other alcohol is a necessity. You can tell that alcohol

is something he heavily relied on. "I don't know how

many bottles of beer

I have consumed while waiting for things

to get better" Alcohol becomes a symbol in this

poem. It because a crutch or something to lean on it

Bukowski's life.