I was doing my usual Monday poetry surfing. I checked in to Read Write Poem to make a new friend, and of course that led to all sorts of links. Through several sites, I found myself on the Poetry.org site and I thought about my poet for this month, Charles Bukowski. I have two collections including what matters most is how well you walk through the fire. These are recent collections, (within the last 5 years), compiled by Linda Lee Bokowski. I return to them repeatedly and so I thought it was time to share my affinity here.

The Madness of Genius

Charles Bukowski, 1920 – 1994
I’m drawn inexplicably to his poetry, his story, his countenance, since I first came across him some eight years. He shared the truth of who he was, without apology, and that is enticing. In an interview with Linda Lee Bukowski, I saw glimpses of the poet, the scary ominous parts we don’t really want to touch—even while we may enjoy his writing. It’s the raw truth that I might touch that scares me, and yet I’m compelled to keep watching and reading, to see what I might of this artist that “the critics just don’t like.”

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