the phone rang at 1:30 a.m.
and it was a man from Denver:
"Chinaski, you got a following in
Denver…"
"yeah?"
"yeah, I got a magazine and I want some
poems from you…"
"FUCK YOU, CHINASKI!" I heard a voice
in the background…
"I see you have a friend,"
I said.
"yeah," he answered, "now, I want
six poems…"
"CHINASKI SUCKS! CHINASKI'S A PRICK!"
I heard the other
voice.
"you fellows been drinking?"
I asked.
"so what?" he answered. "you drink."
"that's true…"
"CHINASKI'S AN ASSHOLE!"
then
the editor of the magazine gave me the
address and I copied it down on the back
of an envelope.
"send us some poems now…"
"I'll see what I can do…"
"CHINASKI WRITES SHIT!"
"goodbye," I said.
"goodbye," said the
editor.
I hung up.
there are certainly any number of lonely
people without much to do with
their nights.
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Bukowski is notorious for writing whatever he pleases and calling it a poem. I can just imagine this as his actual response to some inconsiderate editor, ignoring the time difference, ringing him up in the middle of the night to demand a poem. Each new block of capitals can be seen as the title of yet another poem for this editor.
Jim
Jim -
I have no idea what all this means
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hahahahaha... I wasn't sure where this was going, but loved it once it got there. What a hilarious situation to be in. LOL
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"CHINASKI WRITES SHIT!"
"goodbye," I said.
"goodbye," said the
editor.
I hung up.
there are certainly any number of lonely
people without much to do with
their nights.
We call this in my peer group "Drunk Dialing Syndrome" or "drunk man says what the sober man cant" Or "Alcohol breeds distraught confession" (actually I say that last line) -
i did not know that... but know i do..
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In response to the above query, Henry Chinaski is Bukowski's alter ego, a name he uses to represent himself in his work. Chinaski once punched out Ernest Hemingway, didja know?
op to the rc
seanj
Edited on May 31 because 'I cant spell.'. -
Harmonia,
It doesn't. But it has profanity in it and thus falls under 'Adult'. We've been trying forever to get an 'adult' category put in but 'erotica' is the only category available at this time.
Oldpoetry Researcher,
Nam
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I agree with naughtygrl. To bad that we never know, unless we research Charles Bukowski. Then we hunt down his personal contacts in the business world, and bam. If they don't reply, we stalk them. Wait, did I say that? looks all confused Anyways, I have a good question. HOW DOES THIS FALLS UNDER EROTICA? 
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Who the heck is CHINASKI!
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I love the style of this poet. He is one special writer. I love the dialogue form of this. It flows so fast and leaves us something to ponder.
Renee -
Funny, dry and very graphic. Wry comment on modernity, interlocution of the phone call. The drunk background voice like one of his own selves.
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This is certainly some modern poetry... not sure I would even call it poetry, but that's more just my opinion and viewpoint. 
Anyway, it was pretty funny, though. Good point at the end.
Kate
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