bukowski

on a plane, I leap up to help an old woman lift a heavy cabin bag into the bin.

on a plane I

I leap up to help an old woman

lift a heavy cabin bag into the

bin. She sees my book of

poems on the seat.

Bukowski, she says,

Bukowski, Bukowski.

I slept with him once

in the 80s

got me pregnant the rat

off of one shot.

Didn’t take though, she says,

but I had already told

my husband

I love you

he told me, and

that’s all he said, not

a word more for two

weeks

no anger, no words for two

weeks

Then nature took its course

it’s out, I told him, it

didn’t take.

I love you,

he said

and that was the end of it,

well, that was the start of it

really, because I

don’t think

he’d ever said those words

to me

I love you

my husband

he may have, sure,

but I may not have heard

from that day

that nature took its course

I believe he told me

that he loved me

every day

for forty years

he may not have,

but that’s what I heard

he’s gone now.

Bukowski, she says,

never actually read him

any good?

A real conversation starter.

Thanks

Sam @ Substack

for giving me the book.