Friendly advice to a lot of young men, by Charles Bukowski

Charles Bukowski

Friendly advice to a lot of young men

Go to Tibet.

Ride a camel.

Read the Bible.

Dye your shoes blue.

Grow a Beard.

Circle the world in a paper canoe.

Subscribe to “The Saturday Evening Post.”

Chew on the left side of your mouth only.

Marry a woman with one leg and shave with a straight razor.

And carve your name in her arm.

Brush your teeth with gasoline.

Sleep all day and climb trees at night.

Be a monk and drink buckshot and beer.

Hold your head under water and play the violin.

Do a belly dance before pink candles.

Kill your dog.

Run for Mayor.

Live in a barrel.

Break your head with a hatchet.

Plant tulips in the rain.

But don’t write poetry.

#AmericanWriters

susan morris

5 months

Vivid images, and humor.

faisal khattak

9 months

its very mind boggling poem. i think the poet has mentioned mostly those aspects which are almost impossible to do or barely most people do. but still cant get why is he trying to restrain us from writing poetry. may be in my opinion he is trying to present the societies distasteful view about writing or reading poetry.

Misael Cureño

about 2 months

I am not really sure, because I've read in other of his works that he has tried to avoid young writers to be in that path, not because of the path itself but because of the things it involves. Everybody can write some words in a paper, but not everyone is prepared to afford the possiblity to not becoming as successful as one could want. You should be really in love of the art itself to accept even the death while following the song of the heart.

Jacob Bocaj

about 1 year

I think the poet is reiterating something that is told to young people quite often.
"There are an infinite number of ways to be successful and happy, and just because you or even everybody can't see them doesn't mean that they aren't out there, and instead of sitting down to try and write poetry, or head an insurance firm, you should make known your thoughts in any way you chose and rule the entire world."

Warren Stribling

about 1 year

Beyond the constructs of many of our species, the right and wrong, the morals and ethics...

There is life.
Action and consequence.
The purpose of life...
Is to live.
It's as simple and complicated as that.

Here's a poem for a few young men.

I've done half. ;) Hahaha

Mercedes Dembo

almost 3 years

I like what you wrote: I like to think that every poet is capable of going AROUND THE WORLD IN A PAPER BOAT AND BE WILLING TO TELL ..
no matter how distasteful poetry is we me go