shot in the eye
shot in the brain
shot in the ass
shot like a flower in the dance
amazing how death wins hands down
amazing how much credence is given to idiot forms of life
amazing how laughter has been drowned out
amazing how viciousness is such a constant
I must soon declare my own war on their war
I must hold to my last piece of ground
I must protect the small space I have made that has allowed me life
my life not their death
my death not their death…
Leave a guest comment (subject to review)
Comments
1 - 18 of 18
-
-
I get this poem. Focus on yourself, essentially, right? I mean, self-preservation. Who's going to do it if not each one of us?
-
i dont know about anyone else, but bukowski brings tears to my eyes (especially this write)...what a true poet....a poet of the working man, of society and our own prevalent humanity and insanity that we all arrived here with and cannot escape...
-
O Charles! If only you had lived in the age of the blog.
-
HAHAHHA. yea funny, he's dead... anyway one of my fave poets, this poem is simply amazing along with the rest of his work.
-
I have just fairly recently had the pleasure to acquaint myself with some of the writings of this author. I have been aware that he has quite a following , and I believe that soon I will be joining the ranks of those
I have never read such intense and raw slices of life that can pull you right in without any fluffing of the words or presentation,
Reenie
-
This poem was great...to me it did seem like he was as the title states making a challenge to the dark. It was like all this bad stuff can happen in the world and to me but I have the hope that something better will come out of it, and if this bad stuff indeed kills me in the process I will know I died by placing a little good in the world and by doing that my death is not like thiers. Its is an oldy but a goody as they say. AMANDA
-
Interesting work. It is quite unique and very creative. It's definately original. YOu did a great job. Very different style! I liked it.
-
eek, I'm alittle giggly at the comments above that say Keep Up The Good Work..or the questions. sadly he is dead, which is I think why he is on oldpoetry.
the last stanza's, in my opinion, stood out, but it looks like Poetryality had said everything/
-nicci -
What he is saying is, it is all by choice! The individual decides the way he should die, why in war?, why in the company of those who love misery? Why your way and not mine? That's what he speaks to my spirit. I love the line:
amazing how viciousness is such a constant
How apropos for the very times we live in at this moment. I applaud this poet and his consistancy. Always in the split second of happenstance and always right on point! I do so wonder what he would be writing today.
Renee
Edited on Dec 04, 11:41 because ''. -
I love the way he did everything on his own terms and made use of the tools he had.
-
OK, here’s how i see this, he starts with a mantra, of sorts. of Shots…and, to me, what i feel he is saying is that all the intellectualizing and chanting and reaching that comes along the way in life; the better we get at those things, the further we seem to get away from the buzzing flower to flower in the dance, (ie: the nature we were born with) that mythical star that moves us. The living and all the simple things we do as we are moved by compassion's inhalations and exhalations... for me, making bread is a prayer, the joy of seeing the sun is a prayer. or my acts of rashness, a prayer. I was moved. I held hands with the Divine in a certain big dream and “we ran” together. And this movement of life happens only in the Field of Opposites. Life is simply where we can dance. A dancehall with a good wood floor. There are no sacred or profane places and the Sacred we find here is as good as anywhere. It's all the same. I can therefore take on death…as a challenge, if you will. I do not see this as a dark poem but one of strength and vitality …shaking both fists at anything that diminishes life and its vitality.
~richard
-
I'm laughing at all the comments that say "Keep up the good work." Charles Bukowski is dead.
I like this piece for its rejection of popular control by the forces that are both mindless and vicious. The challenge to the dark is, hey, i'm not going down like that. You can have your wars and hate, but I refuse to be sucked into it all. I like that. I am not the most familiar with his work, but this seems like a decent piece and I might be checking more of his stuff out. Thanks to whoever promoted this piece. Good idea.
Peace,
Lo
-
This somewhat confused me. I'm not exactly sure where your getting at with the first stanza. Other then that it was very good. Keep up the great work.
---BOE--- -
This is interesting. It's very unique compared to a lot of poems on this site. Obviously, I like that. I only wish it were longer.
Oh well. You did a good job on this, regardless.
-
This was a great write! Keep up the great work......You seem to be a great poet! Keep up the great work and never give up and keep hoping and trying and one day we'll all make it. Nicely done you get your point accross well!
-
I guess this poem is to the things that the poet loves about the world and not to accept someone else's judgement of what is good and what is not. I think the poet is a lighting rod of the population and that all unique and even spiritual thoughts are directed towards the poet and he or she communicates it in poetry as this poet certainly did.
-
lol at UB1. You too Chinaski. hahaha
I love this man.
Desiree
-
Our lifestyle often does indeed determine our "deathstyle." This one reminded me of something a friend of mine once said to me...he said...the world has enough snakes in it...is there really any need to add any more poison? That stuck with me...and seems to reverberate through the lines of this poem. The world is full of so much that is negative...it is so important to cling to that which is positive and just plain "good"...in our own lives and in the world around us.
UB
Adding your comment:
1 - 18 of 18
