Poetry competition CLOSED 31st March 2015 8:04pm
WINNER
johnrot
johnrot
RUNNER-UP:
lanooz
To Bukowski ...
Poetry Contest Description
Write a poem reminiscent of Charles Bukowski ...
http://444.hu/assets/charles-bukowski-2-animated.gif
Charles Bukowski - American poet ~ playwright - essayist ... is considered one of the most influential - and imitated poets in modern times.
He had three great passions outside of writing: women, drinking and horse racing.
Listed are two links to provide a jumping off point if needed.
New writes
Any style
No collaborations
Two weeks
Have fun!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/harpercollins/the-10-best-charles-bukowski-quotes-about-drinking-9npd
http://www.quotesforbros.com/22-awesome-charles-bukowski-quotes/
Charles Bukowski - American poet ~ playwright - essayist ... is considered one of the most influential - and imitated poets in modern times.
He had three great passions outside of writing: women, drinking and horse racing.
Listed are two links to provide a jumping off point if needed.
New writes
Any style
No collaborations
Two weeks
Have fun!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/harpercollins/the-10-best-charles-bukowski-quotes-about-drinking-9npd
http://www.quotesforbros.com/22-awesome-charles-bukowski-quotes/
Anonymous
complaining
bukowski said
“find what you love
and let it kill you.”
what do i, mother of two
wife to one, have to complain
about?
my little life full of car pools,
steady nine to five,
enough for needs and
a few wants
but…
something feels
like a punch to the gut
on days like today
when the sky is blue
but so is my heart
(funny how a color has many
different meanings, like the
number two)
searching, always searching
for completion
but i’m not sure there is
such a thing
told my therapist that
and she just smiled
and said
"have you tried gardening?"
(no i haven’t tried
fucking gardening
black thumb, bitch)
but i do let words
leak from my eyes
on nights that end in
why
that seems to help
a bit
bukowski said
“find what you love
and let it kill you.”
what do i, mother of two
wife to one, have to complain
about?
my little life full of car pools,
steady nine to five,
enough for needs and
a few wants
but…
something feels
like a punch to the gut
on days like today
when the sky is blue
but so is my heart
(funny how a color has many
different meanings, like the
number two)
searching, always searching
for completion
but i’m not sure there is
such a thing
told my therapist that
and she just smiled
and said
"have you tried gardening?"
(no i haven’t tried
fucking gardening
black thumb, bitch)
but i do let words
leak from my eyes
on nights that end in
why
that seems to help
a bit
someone bring me the real Buk
the one who turned vegetarian
gave away the liquor
started driving brand new european
and fell hard for his own legend
then ran out of gas
in the end couldn't do nothin' new
and couldn't keep belting out
what was no longer true
the only lesson from Buk is this;
if you can only write about yourself
then keep your life shitty
because if you run out of that
the words stop being so ugly-pretty
nothing to admire then about Buk
not really
when plenty of better men can write about life
without having to go down with it
Buk has turned into the very cliche
of the diseased freak-genius
writing his life away
but he even turned his back on it himself
lived his last days tea-total
vegetarian
with fuck all left to say
wrote himself out
Buk
the kind of writer who feels like genius
until you've read everyone else
{ http://www.academia.edu/1164634/Charles_Bukowski_--_Outsider_Maverick_and_Misfit }
(to explain further, you asked for 'in the style of'….and Buk was a dick to other writers, often telling bullshit lies about them, slandering them, down-talking their abilities. The general consensus as per the link above is that he was good early on, but lost his shit to alcohol, just like many drinker/writers….liquor takes away ability, when writers should and do improve with age without it…so, Buk, in the style of Buk…)
the one who turned vegetarian
gave away the liquor
started driving brand new european
and fell hard for his own legend
then ran out of gas
in the end couldn't do nothin' new
and couldn't keep belting out
what was no longer true
the only lesson from Buk is this;
if you can only write about yourself
then keep your life shitty
because if you run out of that
the words stop being so ugly-pretty
nothing to admire then about Buk
not really
when plenty of better men can write about life
without having to go down with it
Buk has turned into the very cliche
of the diseased freak-genius
writing his life away
but he even turned his back on it himself
lived his last days tea-total
vegetarian
with fuck all left to say
wrote himself out
Buk
the kind of writer who feels like genius
until you've read everyone else
{ http://www.academia.edu/1164634/Charles_Bukowski_--_Outsider_Maverick_and_Misfit }
(to explain further, you asked for 'in the style of'….and Buk was a dick to other writers, often telling bullshit lies about them, slandering them, down-talking their abilities. The general consensus as per the link above is that he was good early on, but lost his shit to alcohol, just like many drinker/writers….liquor takes away ability, when writers should and do improve with age without it…so, Buk, in the style of Buk…)
it's all blowguns and bamboo spikes
i jerk off and work so much the girl i'm seein thinks my thumb smells like dirty pussy
cuz i'm holdin my shorts down below my balls
sweating constantly
sometimes you forget to wash your hands and get a lil ether on the soft spot right before the taint
used to go to a bar called the sting
i tend to prefer honesty over figuring out who fucked up
let's just get it fixed
but i got a lil brother who says bad things about other people
to make em self look better
as much as the ol man always said
no matter what
you never throw anotha man under the bus
if ain't nobody else home and your puppy really wants to sit in the bathroom while you take a piss
but you won't let em
you are insecure and a dick
a guy who
gives a shit a lil too much
about the power of attorney
i'm gonna take the new fender cut away
nylon strings fuck yeah
give cuzzo everything else i got
bunch of old computer parts,guitar components
tools are way too expensive to travel with
cars without trailers
can always transfer college credits
to modesto ca or something
some modellos tho
crests and breakers
the beauty of how some real mezcal
can chaffe your ass cheeks without you knowin
till you wake up the next day naked on the beach
with a pornstar chick they don't even make back in NY
and you don't even care in the morn if she got a dick or not
you can have all that ol louisiana momma shit carnal
dad's gonna be out here with me
i jerk off and work so much the girl i'm seein thinks my thumb smells like dirty pussy
cuz i'm holdin my shorts down below my balls
sweating constantly
sometimes you forget to wash your hands and get a lil ether on the soft spot right before the taint
used to go to a bar called the sting
i tend to prefer honesty over figuring out who fucked up
let's just get it fixed
but i got a lil brother who says bad things about other people
to make em self look better
as much as the ol man always said
no matter what
you never throw anotha man under the bus
if ain't nobody else home and your puppy really wants to sit in the bathroom while you take a piss
but you won't let em
you are insecure and a dick
a guy who
gives a shit a lil too much
about the power of attorney
i'm gonna take the new fender cut away
nylon strings fuck yeah
give cuzzo everything else i got
bunch of old computer parts,guitar components
tools are way too expensive to travel with
cars without trailers
can always transfer college credits
to modesto ca or something
some modellos tho
crests and breakers
the beauty of how some real mezcal
can chaffe your ass cheeks without you knowin
till you wake up the next day naked on the beach
with a pornstar chick they don't even make back in NY
and you don't even care in the morn if she got a dick or not
you can have all that ol louisiana momma shit carnal
dad's gonna be out here with me
write me whiskey & women
I put on my misery mask
& take my place at the bar
with these others who claim
the tag of ‘poet’ as if the Lord’s
good will shop was overstocked
use their soiled notebooks as coasters
while the old man’s ghost regards us
from his corner throne
‘pretenders!’ he calls us, swears in disgust
hocks up a loogie thick with nicotine
hits the spittoon dead center
the sound of a tin drum disturbs our lethargy
so I write something that will never be called
poetry –
fate leads you down your own road
& hands you the payroll card
when you’re due to punch out for the last time
but if I get to choose
I will die in a whore’s bed
I put on my misery mask
& take my place at the bar
with these others who claim
the tag of ‘poet’ as if the Lord’s
good will shop was overstocked
use their soiled notebooks as coasters
while the old man’s ghost regards us
from his corner throne
‘pretenders!’ he calls us, swears in disgust
hocks up a loogie thick with nicotine
hits the spittoon dead center
the sound of a tin drum disturbs our lethargy
so I write something that will never be called
poetry –
fate leads you down your own road
& hands you the payroll card
when you’re due to punch out for the last time
but if I get to choose
I will die in a whore’s bed
Hemi - thanks for the entry and insight ... At his best Bukowski wrote hard truths so there's nothing wrong about telling the hard truth about him
johnrot - Glad to see your pen in this - solid ink as always
JohnF - you've rounded out this trifecta as only you can
johnrot - Glad to see your pen in this - solid ink as always
JohnF - you've rounded out this trifecta as only you can
Please submit NEW material as outlined in the original post for this challenge; I saw this work on two other sites, one dating back to 2011. Thank you.
mmsiraj said:remembering bukowski
there sits bukowski
frayed at the edges
well thumped
dog eared
tossed around
caressed
held up
with duct tape
among the hide bound
strait jacketed stiffs
crackling with indignation.
mmsiraj said:remembering bukowski
there sits bukowski
frayed at the edges
well thumped
dog eared
tossed around
caressed
held up
with duct tape
among the hide bound
strait jacketed stiffs
crackling with indignation.
Anonymous
and suddenly i feel slightly out of place in this competition!
Anonymous
Hi, is that Mr Bukowski..?
I'm just ringing to say that your laundry
has been ready for days and if
you don't come and pick it up soon
we'll have to destroy it.
It's nothing personal...
a few socks,
some rather worn
vests...
I'm just ringing to say that your laundry
has been ready for days and if
you don't come and pick it up soon
we'll have to destroy it.
It's nothing personal...
a few socks,
some rather worn
vests...
