Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way: New Poems

Charles Bukowski

from “neither Shakespeare nor Mickey Spillane”

young young young, only wanting the Word,
going mad in the streets and in the bars,
brutal fights, broken glass, crazy women
screaming in
your cheap room,
you a familiar guest at the drunk tank, North
Avenue 21, Lincoln Heights
sifting through the madness for the Word, the
line
the way,
hoping for a check from somewhere,
dreaming of a letter from a great editor:
“Chinaski, you don’t know how long we’ve been waiting for you!”
no chance at all.

status	Copy #1 (4036): in
genre	Literature and Fiction » Beat Generation
publisher	Ecco
publish date	January 6, 2004
popularity	checked out 3 time(s)