Jane poems (1 Viewer)

[captslowshow]

Hey all. I'm fresh to the wonders of Mr. Bukowski and am finding myself terribly partial to his poems about Jane. Coincidentally we are supposed to give half-assed presentations in my poetry class on a poet or poem of our choice, and what with this Bukowski infatuation my subject feels kind of obvious. I was going to focus on his works for/about Jane, but as I know of about three or four for certain I figured you well-versed lot could help me out. I've got "For Jane", "With All the Love I Had, Which Was Not Enough", and "Eulogy to a Hell of a Dame", as well as the two below that I don't know titles of. So, good forum-goers, can you help me out? Cheers muchly!

Jane, who has been dead for 31 years,
never could have
imagined that I would write a screenplay of our drinking
days together
and
that it would be made into a movie
and
that a beautiful movie star would play her part.

I can hear Jane now: "A beautiful movie star? Oh,
for Christ's sake!'

Jane, that's show biz, so go back to sleep, dear, because
no matter how hard they tried they
just couldn't find anybody exactly like
you.

and neither can
I.

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.

 

[number6horse]

From my point of view, you have the best "Jane" poems nailed down already. Though I'm sure others will have recommendations that will have me kneeling before tigers in the dark.

 

[mjp]

https://web.archive.org/web/2020/ht...hp?show=poem-unknown-to_jane_cooney_baker.jpg

 

[hank solo]

...the two below that I don't know titles of. So, good forum-goers, can you help me out? Cheers muchly!

The first one

Jane, who has been dead for 31 years,
never could have
imagined that I would write a screenplay of our drinking
days together

is from a poem called 'Barfly' - see The Flash of Lightening Behind the Mountain p.73 or The Pleasures of the Damned p.177.

This one

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

is part of a letter to 'Katherine' from 25 January 1976. See 'Living on Luck' p.212-214.