Did I ever tell you? from The Days run away like wild horses over the hills, page 98.
I've been meaning to write about this poem for a long, long time now. It is perhaps one of the most unusual and perhaps original poems I have read by Bukowski, largely because of its subject matter.
Typing the whole poem up here would have been a bit of a nightmare as it is nine pages long. So, I'll just write a general overview of the poem and the note some interesting features within it and then ask some questions.
First off, this poem is written from the perspective of a woman, and it documents as varied litany of relationships this woman has had with a boat load of men. The theme seems to be centrally concerned with homosexual men, or at least, weak sensitive men who turn out to be gay or have homosexual inclinations.
This perspective of the jilted woman, who has close connectiosn with men, and primarily homosexual men, really allows Bukowski to attack masculinity and it also demonstrate as weird kind of understanding and commentary on homosexuality and the sceretive, somewhat hidden side of homosexuality and its relationships.
As someone who has been totally baffeled by their sexuality for a long time, I found this poem to be hilarious, insightful and intriguing: a real eye opener...i.e. Buk shows real insigight with his caricatures and his desctrptions of the secretive nature of these relationships, esepcially taking into consideration when it was written - lates 60's.
It reads like a secret list of all these gay men this woman encountered, and her assessment of their chracter, weaknesses, and psychological damamge. Now, this in know why implies anything about bukowskis sexuality, quite the opposite in fact, I'm so glad he wrote this poem: he demonsrates his ability to take on another perspective, to show us another aspect of underground society and its relationships. You get the feel of a real clandestine uncovering of relationships - i.e. married men having gay liasions, gay inclinations, or discovering secret parts to their own self, and how this can mess them up.
I'll give some examples:
'And the tall one who
became a forest ranger
and left a note with Roger
confessing he was queer
(but Roger already knew)'
'And Edward was a queer-but so very gentle;
he lit candles, had a sense of humour and
very hairy legs- like one of those land
crabs
or a coconut.'
'And Jerry was just like a horse-
if I looked him in the eye
he couldn't
kiss me.
(He just pretended he was gay
but he wasn't.)
(I can tell. Oh, I can always tell.)
'I used to go up on the
roof with Manny.
He was strange.
Parents spoiled him.
We looked at the moon through
a telescope: I stood
as the big end
and held it up
and he sat down
at the little end
and looked through it.'
'Vincent?
No. He was nothing. He was frightened
of his brother.
'My brother!' He'd scream
and we'd all run out the back door
and into the garage naked
or just in panties and bras...'
'I was engaged to Arlington
only three weeks.
And he tore the ring from my finger
claiming he didn't
want to marry the whole
queer army.
Later he cried on my shoulder
and told me he was a queen bee
and a general
and that he had been kidding himself
all his life.
I cried when he left.'
'Peter will kill himself some day.
Art will killl himself.
Tommy set fire to the bed and
beat his mother. I only
live with him
because of her. We went
to Alkaseltzer Mass
together.'
So, what do you think? This is perhaps one of the most unusual poems of Bukowski I have came across. I love it. It's really insightful. Something many of us can relate too, homoerotic experience with younger, or just, knowing some in our families friends, perhaps even someone who killed themselves. I thought I'd offer this up for discussion. It's a great poem: and Bukowski writing it from the perspective of a woman - is really unusual. Any thoughts - get them down here! Cheers.
I've been meaning to write about this poem for a long, long time now. It is perhaps one of the most unusual and perhaps original poems I have read by Bukowski, largely because of its subject matter.
Typing the whole poem up here would have been a bit of a nightmare as it is nine pages long. So, I'll just write a general overview of the poem and the note some interesting features within it and then ask some questions.
First off, this poem is written from the perspective of a woman, and it documents as varied litany of relationships this woman has had with a boat load of men. The theme seems to be centrally concerned with homosexual men, or at least, weak sensitive men who turn out to be gay or have homosexual inclinations.
This perspective of the jilted woman, who has close connectiosn with men, and primarily homosexual men, really allows Bukowski to attack masculinity and it also demonstrate as weird kind of understanding and commentary on homosexuality and the sceretive, somewhat hidden side of homosexuality and its relationships.
As someone who has been totally baffeled by their sexuality for a long time, I found this poem to be hilarious, insightful and intriguing: a real eye opener...i.e. Buk shows real insigight with his caricatures and his desctrptions of the secretive nature of these relationships, esepcially taking into consideration when it was written - lates 60's.
It reads like a secret list of all these gay men this woman encountered, and her assessment of their chracter, weaknesses, and psychological damamge. Now, this in know why implies anything about bukowskis sexuality, quite the opposite in fact, I'm so glad he wrote this poem: he demonsrates his ability to take on another perspective, to show us another aspect of underground society and its relationships. You get the feel of a real clandestine uncovering of relationships - i.e. married men having gay liasions, gay inclinations, or discovering secret parts to their own self, and how this can mess them up.
I'll give some examples:
'And the tall one who
became a forest ranger
and left a note with Roger
confessing he was queer
(but Roger already knew)'
'And Edward was a queer-but so very gentle;
he lit candles, had a sense of humour and
very hairy legs- like one of those land
crabs
or a coconut.'
'And Jerry was just like a horse-
if I looked him in the eye
he couldn't
kiss me.
(He just pretended he was gay
but he wasn't.)
(I can tell. Oh, I can always tell.)
'I used to go up on the
roof with Manny.
He was strange.
Parents spoiled him.
We looked at the moon through
a telescope: I stood
as the big end
and held it up
and he sat down
at the little end
and looked through it.'
'Vincent?
No. He was nothing. He was frightened
of his brother.
'My brother!' He'd scream
and we'd all run out the back door
and into the garage naked
or just in panties and bras...'
'I was engaged to Arlington
only three weeks.
And he tore the ring from my finger
claiming he didn't
want to marry the whole
queer army.
Later he cried on my shoulder
and told me he was a queen bee
and a general
and that he had been kidding himself
all his life.
I cried when he left.'
'Peter will kill himself some day.
Art will killl himself.
Tommy set fire to the bed and
beat his mother. I only
live with him
because of her. We went
to Alkaseltzer Mass
together.'
So, what do you think? This is perhaps one of the most unusual poems of Bukowski I have came across. I love it. It's really insightful. Something many of us can relate too, homoerotic experience with younger, or just, knowing some in our families friends, perhaps even someone who killed themselves. I thought I'd offer this up for discussion. It's a great poem: and Bukowski writing it from the perspective of a woman - is really unusual. Any thoughts - get them down here! Cheers.
