what matters most is how well you walk through the fire

Like most of us, I never liked the posthumous collections even way before we came to know, what had happened. But I did like 'Roll the Dice'. Now I ask myself: has that been changed too? And where? Reading it again now, my suspect even starts at the first stanza: "... otherwise, don't even...

Martinized when the violets roar at the sun they've got us in the cage ruined of grace and senses and the heart roars like a lion at what they've done to us. A six line poem has one essential line for the meaning removed: "they'll set us free". The essential "their" cage is changed to "the"...

CARLTON WAY OFF OF WESTERN: published in SECOND COMING Vol. 5, No. 1 ©1977. Carlton Way off Western Ave.: published in what matters most is how well you walk through the fire ©2007.

Supposedly small changes here, but notice the difference in "he was so ashamed that he/left his house in the morning" and the Martinized "he'd be so ashamed that he'd/leave the house in the morning." This mucks it up because originally is has the typically Buk direct and active "he was" and "he...

Bukowski was so mighty he could revise from his grave! There's no other explanation for this.

Both versions were written within 4 days. The changes are substantial -and that's an understatement. Did he also change/revise "The Crunch"? :D It would be interesting to find the draft(s) of that poem to establish who made those changes.