His Wife, The Painter
July 5, 2023Confession
July 5, 2023Decline
naked along the side of the house,
8 a.m., spreading sesame seed oil
over my body, Jesus, have I come
to this?
I once battled in dark alleys for a
laugh.
now I’m not laughing.
I splash myself with oil and wonder,
how many years do you want?
how many days?
my blood is soiled and a dark
angel sits in my brain.
things are made of something and
go to nothing.
I understand the fall of cities, of
nations.
a small plane passes overhead.
I look upward as if it made sense to
look upward.
it’s true, the sky has rotted:
it won’t be long for any of
us.
from The Olympia Review – 1994
Charles Bukowski
Charles Bukowski (1920-1994) was an American poet and novelist known for his gritty, raw writing style and unflinching portrayals of life on the margins. He wrote numerous volumes of poetry, including "Love is a Dog From Hell" and "The Last Night of the Earth Poems," and his novels, such as "Post Office" and "Women," have become cult classics.