New York Quarterly - 1989

B AS IN BULLSHIT

B kind
B a good drinker
B able to engage nicely in physical combat
B a lover of classical music
B a tolerator of PMS
B a good horseplayer
B an agnostic
B generous on the freeways of the world
B a good sleeper
B not too fearful of death
B unable to beg before the female
B able not to hate the priests or the clergy
B able to feel superior to chess or pool
B able to understand that a college education is a fart in the dark
B able to dislike poets more than poetry
B able to realize that the rich can be very damned dumb
B able to realize that the poor are more alive than the middle class
B able to realize that shit is necessary realizebut only in its most elemental form
B able to realize that shit is more fun than dying
B able to realize that 77% of the people have considered suicide
B able to realize that only one in ten thousand have the guts to do so
B aware that in every every life a little bit of hell must fall
B aware that a hell of a lot more hell falls in some lives than in others
B aware that there is no such thing as an intelligent being
B aware that the dumb bastards crawl the earth like the scurry-ass roach
B able to know that the human heart can conquer odds not even dreamed of yet
B able to stay away from movies
B able to sit alone in a room with four walls and feel good
B able to watch your cat walk across the floor toward you like a miracle
B able to know bullshit
B able to know that this could be
B ukowski

    

The Flash of Lighning Behind the Mountain - 2004

B as in bullshit

B kind
B a good listener
B able to engage in physical combat
B a lover of classical music
B a tolerator of children
B a good horseplayer
B an agnostic
B generous on the freeways of the world
B a good sleeper
B not fearful of death
B unable to beg
B able to love
B able to feel superior
B able to understand that too much education is a fart in the dark
B able to dislike poets and poetry
B able to understand that the rich can be poor in spirit
B able to understand that the poor live better than the rich
B able to understand that shit is necessary
B aware that in every life a little bit of shit must fall
B aware that a hell of a lot more shit falls on some more than on others
B aware that many dumb bastards crawl the earth
B aware that the human heart cannot be broken
B able to stay away from movies
B able to sit alone in a room and feel good
B able to watch your cat cross the floor like a miracle
B able to recognize bullshit even when you hear it from
B ukowski.