the luck of the word

troughout the years
I have gotten letters
from men

who say
that reading my books
has helped them
get through,
go on.

this is high praise
indeed
and I know what
they mean
my nerve to go
on was helped
by reading Fante, Dostoevsky,
Lawrence, Celine, Hamsun
and others.

the word
raw on page
the similarity of
our hells.
when it all comes
trough with
special
force,
those words and
what they speak
of
do help
get our asses
through the
fire.

a good book
can make an almost
impossible
existence
liveable.

for the reader
and
the writer.

Charles Bukowski, Betting on the Muse.

Obrigado Hank.