Name of poem about witnessing suicide from fire escape. (1 Viewer)

Hello

I am looking for the name of a poem in which a character sits on a fire escape and watches someone fall to their death. He goes to grab a girl he is with but she doesn't believe him. Eventually she sees it and he is satisfied to be right.

I think it appears in either Slouching Toward Nirvana or Flash Of Lightning Behind the Mountain but I could be mistaken.

Also if its online to read, that would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,
Michael
 
My recollection of that scene is at the track and Buk writes about Chinaski pushing some guy through the bleachers and he falls to his death (or so Chinaski believes). He's with a woman who doesn't see it and the next day, he looks for the story in the newspaper. It's been a while since I read that and Buk was one to recycle a story on occasion, so perhaps both are out there. Poetic license, don't you know.

I'm also nearly certain that my recollection is from a collection that is not posthumous, for what that is worth (a great deal to many).
 
Right, PS! - It reminds me of the story in which Buk looks out the window and sees a man falling through the air landing on the sidewalk. Buk tells his girlfriend, Jane, about it and she does´nt believe him until she looks out the window and see the body on the sidewalk.
 
I believe that's a story Bukowski told in one of the sessions* of The Charles Bukowski Tapes.
That episode happened in the 50's when he lived in a hotel near MacArthur Park with Jane.

*It's #43.
 
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Right, Buk tells the story in the Charles Bukowski Tapes (on video and DVD, and on Youtube too), and also in the story, "3 women". I believe he also mentioned it in one of his poems, but I don't remember which one.
 
Thanks guys for all your answers. While I'm pretty sure its the poem I'm thinking of (3 women doesn't mention the disbelief, and I've never seen those interviews) this has at least helped to point me in the right direction. If anyone can name that poem however it would be wonderful. Its for a little Bukowski art thing I'm working on.

I'd be interested in hearing it on the Bukowski Tapes too. Shame it's so difficult to track down.
 
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I really need more information on this incident ] and finding this poem is proving to be harder than I thought. I can't even by the Charles Bukowski Tapes as I need to have everything I can get on it by thursday. Would anyone be willing to send me even a crappy cellphone recorded audio recording of #43, even a written transcript would help. I'm desperate. PM me if you can help. It would be so greatly appreciated, I'm running out of options.
 
I'd be interested in hearing it on the Bukowski Tapes too. Shame it's so difficult to track down.

It's on Youtube, as I wrote in my reply. Here's the link to the segment about the body falling through the air:

 
finding this poem is proving to be harder than I thought.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he didn't mention it in a poem. I've recently finished reading his poetry collections (Martinowski stuff was last) and I don't recall the "fire escape" episode.

On the other hand almost everything you were looking for (Jane's disbelief, Buk feeling smug great about being right) is in the TCBT episode #43.

Its for a little Bukowski art thing I'm working on.
Oh, no...
(Forgive me mjp, I didn't know what all this was for.) :fool:
 
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I really need more information on this incident ] and finding this poem is proving to be harder than I thought.
Hi! If this helps,the story is recounted in Sounes book Locked in the arms of a crazy life, chapter 2 The Barfly years. There is also a poem in The Roominghouse Madrigals called One Hundred And Ninety-Nine Pounds Of Clay Leaning Forward, the falling man gets a mention.Really hope this helps you.
 
Hehe, you searched PDFs for "fire escape" too. However that doesn't seem to be the right guy (the one Bukowski saw falling by his window).

P.S. Welcome back. :)
 
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Sshhh! but thank you:). Sorry about the above post, squashed to death writing it on a mobile phone.Do you mean the poem zobraks, but jhow high could the body count be in terms of men falling out of windows:wb: If it not be he, be who then?
Have tried to check my spelling here. Either way it is a damn fine poem.
 

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