The free soul…

"The free soul is rare, but 
you know it when you see it
- basically because you feel 
good, very good, when you 
are near or with them."

-Charles Bukowski, Tales of Ordinary Madness

If I never…

If I never see you again
I will always carry you
inside
outside

on my fingertips
and at brain edges

and in centers
centers
of what I am of
what remains. 

-Charles Bukowski

…maybe

...maybe a damned good night's sleep will bring me
back to a gentle sanity. But at the moment, I look
about this room and, like myself, it's all in disarray:
things fallen out of place, cluttered, jumbled, lost,
knocked over and I can't put it straight, don't want to. 
Perhaps living through these petty days will get us 
ready for the dangerous ones.

Charles Bukowski

The Laughing Heart

your life is your life
don't let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch. 
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch. 
the gods will offer you chances.
know them. 
take them.
you can't beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be. 
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you. 

-Charles Bukowski