ten

bukowski was an arsehole.

that's one of the reasons i love him.
if i'd known him in real life 
i would have hated him too
                                                i reckon.

sure, he played it up some days
he was a barfly
                                                of considerable note.

i love his film clips, black and white,
he's driving a beat up bug,
the windscreen is smashed
and the dash is taped together
                                                  with something.

analyse his scars and you will see
that life was not easy but adaptation
and resilience
and art
makes the medicine essential
and the art
                                                    imperative.