Writer’s Quote: Charles Bukowski

Writer’s Quote: Charles Bukowski

by Ameena k.g

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Oh the days I’ve felt the same way as Charles Bukowski described in his quote, and sometimes, climbing out of bed is the easy part. Knowing a deadline is looming close with zero inspiration to write has a way of dampening even a good day. But then, how many times have we said we couldn’t and we did.

Charles Bukowski was a poet and writer. He wrote short stories, columns for magazines and poetry. According to Wikipedia, he wrote thousands of poetry during his lifetime, many of which were still being published after he passed away on March 9, 1994. He is one of those writers who “say things as they are”. From reading his works, you get this raw honesty and the picture that, this is one man who does not sugar coat his words.

The above quote is in honor of those days when we feel like the ground should hole up, swallow our horrible drafts and replace them with masterpieces; its for the mornings of deadlines when we race to defeat the clock; its for Moments in time when we thought we couldn’t and we did triumphantly.

Below is one of the first poems of Charles Bukowski I came across:

The flesh covers the bone
And they put a mind
In there and
Sometimes a soul,
And the women break
Vases against walls
And the men drink too
Much
And nobody finds the
One
But they 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.
-Alone With Everybody (C. Bukowski)

This post is in response to Writer’s Quote Wednesday hosted by SilverThreading where we share “writer’s quotes” which inspire us. If you’d love to participate and share your quote, just click on the highlighted link above.

44 thoughts on “Writer’s Quote: Charles Bukowski”

  2. Oh yes, I remember when I suffered with chronic insomnia. There were many mornings where I literally dragged myself out of bed. I never really consciously thought, “I’m not going to make it”, but maybe that’s because I was so accustomed to not sleeping. Horrible actually.
    Thanks for sharing a bit of Bukowski with us. I haven’t read much of his stuff. Was he a modernist poet? Interesting poem. Very interesting, because it gives a keen insight to the way he saw the world and human behavior, as well as his distaste for what he’s observed. Really great.
    🙂

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    1. Ohh yes, I know the feeling, awful!
      I also haven’t read much of his works too, but I like the few I come across. No, his Era was after the modernist’s. His closer to a confessional poet, more specially a realist poet.

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      1. It’s interesting to be introduced, or reintroduced to people such as Charles B 🙂 In our lives we run across so many writers, and it’s impossible to remember them all–let alone the many fine things they’ve said/written along the way. Thanks again 🙂

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  13. This past year has been such a challenging one for me work wise…and I have climbed out of bed many a morning with that thought in my head, funny I have yet to laugh inside…perhaps tomorrow…I like that approach!! Thanks for sharing both the quote and the poem… 🙂

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