Last week a writer friend who leads a group of poets sent me a poem by Charles Bukowski, asking my opinion of it.  As unschooled as I am in good, bad or indifferent poetry (most of the modern stuff that I come upon, primarily in The Sun magazine, doesn't make sense to me).  However, I was flattered that she wanted my opinion. 

The poem seems to me to be an angry set of instructions to writers. Since receiving it I've been advised that Bukowski (deceased) was "the darling" of the Hippie generation.  No wonder I missed him! One of the lines is: "If it doesn't roar out of you, do something else."  (He is referring to the written word, of course) Another line: "Unless it comes unmasked out of your heart and your mind and your gut,don't do it."  These admonitions go on through the entire poem. (Poem?)  To my way of thinking, this kind of diatribe does not belong in poetry or prose.

I have felt a compulsion to set words to paper (even some poetry) since I was 12 years old.  Everybody, to my way of thinking, "exudes" written words, dredges up thoughts to share in his/her own time.  I've met many wantabes who give up and many producers who continue to write whether they find an ounce of approval anywhere.  I hope you are among these.  Until tomorrow, Willma