Be Kind
by Charles Bukowski
by Charles Bukowski
we are always asked
to understand the other person's
viewpoint
no matter how
out-dated
foolish or
obnoxious.
one is asked
to view
their total error
their life-waste
with
kindliness,
especially if they are
aged.
but age is the total of
our doing.
they have aged
badly
because they have
lived
out of focus,
they have refused to
see.
not their fault?
whose fault?
mine?
I am asked to hide
my viewpoint
from them
for fear of their
fear.
age is no crime
but the shame
of a deliberately
wasted
life
among so many
deliberately
wasted
lives
is.
to understand the other person's
viewpoint
no matter how
out-dated
foolish or
obnoxious.
one is asked
to view
their total error
their life-waste
with
kindliness,
especially if they are
aged.
but age is the total of
our doing.
they have aged
badly
because they have
lived
out of focus,
they have refused to
see.
not their fault?
whose fault?
mine?
I am asked to hide
my viewpoint
from them
for fear of their
fear.
age is no crime
but the shame
of a deliberately
wasted
life
among so many
deliberately
wasted
lives
is.
12 comments:
interesting. a former friend and i used to have 'conversations' about whether everyone's opinion should count. what would be the criteria for it not to count? why should everyone's voice be heard- i.e. creationists- if their voice is clearly fringe? we did not agree. i like poems that make me think and this one certainly has :)
Kinda sad.
Some people think "tolerance" means you have to let everything stand without rebuttal. Uh uh. If everyone gets to speak, then anyone else gets to disagree. Only fair. But it's all in WORDS though, without threats of violence or intimidation. At least if I ran the world, that's how it would be!
Anne,
Nice site you have here.
Thanks to betmo, for pointing to such cool places.
Bukowski's poem is the perfect compliment to Thinkers Anonymous.
I needed these to clear my nueral pathways after posting my disturbing prediction on the presidential race. Hope I prove to be a mis-Estimated Prophet on that call.
I do love Bukowski and that's a good poem. So glad you posted that, Annie. Funny, I was just going through my Bukowski books a couple of weeks ago looking for a certain poem.
I feel so old sometimes being 51. My time will be up too probably sooner than later if I keep leading such a risky lifestyle
Great poem. 'The Bluebird' and 'One for the Shoeshine Man' are probably my favourite Bukowski poems, but that's a nice one too...
Lovely photo of the old girl. End of a era. Her life, not wasted, surely. Such delight she brought, the old Drive-In Theater.
Great poem!
Where is this drive in theatre? There are only a handful left in Western WA.
it WAS in santa cruz. besides being a drive-in, it was home to one of the finest flea markets around.
i used the photo metaphorically, since drive-ins are a thing of the past, and so are many of the thought patterns and ideals of SOME of our elders. not all, mind you. just the fuckers that made a mess of things, without a thought of future generations. hate is a mighty strong word, but i have to admit, i hate them, and their closed-minded ways.
Oh.
I don't know what to say.
That must be the theater off one of the highways? I can't remember, but my sister took me to this flea mkt, it was huge indeed. At least then.
There are a couple of working drive-ins out here. Unfortunately the movies chosen aren't the kind worth sitting through, if you know what I mean.
And we may be coming out there sometime this yr, I'm afraid of what we may find.
hello
i like charles bukowski. it is nice to see his name. he had a good face.
it tells a story by itself, i think.
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