Charles Bukowski: you can't force your way through the eye of the needle

you can't force your way through the eye of the needle

tearing up poems is my

specialty.

on a given night

I will write between 5 and a

dozen

feeling very good about

all of

them.

the next day

in the cold morning

light

I face them

again:

some have

at best

only a decent line or

two.

to rip and basket

these failures

is pure

pleasure.

there are some

days

when all of them

go.

the poem is hardly the

core of our

existence

although

there have been many

poets

who felt that

it

was.

whatever they are,

the gods are not

dumb.

they must laugh

and wonder

at our

fever for

fame.