this look interesting! i really like this new website, cause it`s dinamic and funny! (sorry for my bad english)

i lov u! i hope see you soon in chile southamerica!

I don’t know… I don’t see the humour in the end… I just find it sad!

Reminds me of Robert Frost’s Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

- Going to go read it again -

ouii j’en ai entendu parlé de lui !
C’étais vraiment un homme bien et il fais rire!
C’est triste qu’il soit partit…

Merci Mika
Bisouxxx

J’adore les poèmes… c’est magnifique..

Ok, sorry but I also need to comment on this…a bit like a Mr.Men,(which I LOVE), yes, but also a bit like Mr. Potatoe Head.

And now I REALLY am off to read the blooming thing, lol!!!
xx
Sara

Ok, so you might not see the similarity to the poem I posted above. Here’s where it reminded me of it:

“I shaved carefully with an old razor
the man who had once been young and
said to have genius; but
that’s the tragedy of the leaves,
the dead ferns, the dead plants;”

The commonality is the mourning of things that were once in their prime and in their glory… and then their inevitable fall from grace.

Depressing!

But thought provoking… thanks for posting! He’s an interesting poet.

Zoots

OK, so now this is something I can relate to — I’m not an artist, but when you start talking about writers I’m on familiar ground

I agree that his work is fascinating — very insightful
and full of intriguing imagery.

For an interesting take on Bukowski — Mickey Rourke played a Bukowski-like character in a movie written by Bukowski and with Faye Dunaway as well…

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092618/

Thanks as always for the blog.

xxx

This is different! One line struck me: “pain is absurd because it exists”…. It’s funny, cos I totally get that, BUT at the same time, pain is necessary because it lets us know when something is wrong, when we need to change something or when we need to work harder until we achieve something. Right? Hmmmm…food for thought.

Also, the poem in the vid reminds me of a song I heard for the first time today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVpClR5YCDU (it’s not the best quality vid, but the song lyrics are there too) The ideas seem quite similar. Check it out
take care
xxx

Hola!antes que nada,pedir disculpas por cambiar mi comentario a mi segundo idioma que es el español( el primero es el Catalán)pero supongo que si escribiera en catalán habría gente que no me entendería.
Nunca he leido nada de este escritor o poeta,pero parece ser muy interesante,prometo informarme un poco más sobre él,será mañana,ahora son las 2 de la madrugada y es tarde mañana hay que trabajar.
Muchas gracias MIKA,por aportarnos información sobre artistas,escritores,poetas,pintores,musica,etc,está muy interesante conocer mas sobre el mundo de la cultura en general.
VIVA LA CULTURA!!!!

Bona nit.

Susa-Gandia-Valencia-Spain

Nice blog. I’ve never been any good at understanding poems, but they’re still nice to read. I don’t think I’m deep enough to understand — sad.
You’re right, the endings are funny haha.

Thanks;-)

Sleep well.

Like scond one love is a dog from hell better, more realistic though…

ALENTEJO SEEN FROM THE TRAIN

Nothing with nothing around it
And a few trees in between
None of wich very clearly green,
Where no river or flower pays a visit.
If there be a hell, I’ve found it,
For if ain’t here, where the Devil it is?

(1907)

I AM THE ESCAPED ONE

I am the escaped one,
After I was born
They locked me up inside me
But I left.
My soul seeks me,
Through hills and valley,
I hope my soul
Never finds me.

MEANTIME

Far away, far away,
Far away from here…
There is no worry after joy
Or away from fear
Far away from here.

Her lips were not very red,
Not her hair quite gold.
Her hands played with rings.
She did not let me hold
Her hands playing with gold.

She is something past,
Far away from pain.
Joy can touch her not, nor hope
Enter her domain,
Neither love in vain.

Perhaps at some day beyond
Shadows and light
She will think of me and make
All me a delight
All away from sight.

FERNANDO PESSOA

fat sweaty arms..
eeeew!

i’m not a native english speaker so this poem doesn’t make any sense to me…

i mean i understand it though i can’t see the meaning behind it:(

Wow… just watched the video… I LOVE that one.

At the risk of spamming you tonight, here is another comment now, this time with my verdict on the poems.

I think that this is the sort of stuff that you need to read when you’re in quite a good mood, as it tends to bring me down when I’m already a bit sad or so…It’s quite poignant, but a bit harsh I find.

I personally prefer slightly happier reads, or something that even though is sad, can have a message of hope in it, even if very slight.

This poem that you posted (the first one) deeply disturbs me.

I see in it the majorly depressed person, people who are so unhappy, lives that seem wasted…I don’t know, it seems a bit hard to read.
The second one has a bit more irony in it, a bit more humour, but still, I find them both quite “depressed”. I know that this is what they are, and the idea, but I hope that you know what I mean by this. :o)

I’ll look more stuff up on him to see if I can find others that are slightly lighter hearted.

Btw- I love his quote “These words I write keep me from total madness”

I wish everyone had a proven method like that. I guess you do with the songwriting, but others have to search out for our own ways….

Have a great Birthday weekend!!
xxx
Sara

Very deep and sad at the same time. I think the plants represent things he’s achieved in life and now they are fading, dying. It happens sometimes, i’ve felt that way. Thanks for sharing Mika.
Greetings from Guadalajara, Mexico

I forgot to mention and I sooo wanted to mention my other favourite line in your lyrics

“Can’t you see my life as something more, and paint me in a colour that you swear you’ve never seen before”

I swear that is one beautiful line I adore it, it just reaches right inside of me, it gets me every time.

wow…. I love a good poem in which you really need to stop and think. Thanks for sharing! And yes, I agree with you theory about his life.
“The empty pots like bled corpses” comparing to how, I THINK, his past years were gone away, the people he was are dead. The pots were all that was left of who he was (the pots being memories, all that remains) and the person he was, and longs to again be is gone and dead (bled corpses)
Also, “the man who had once been young and
said to have genius; ” I feel refers to this point exactly. Who he was was full of genius and good (like the plants, beautiful, young and in bloom.) Still, those “ferns” and “plants” are now dead, leaving only the empty pots (as I said, memories) remaining. I feel this is about where he is in his life, an old man, looking at his past and the memories he has (around the room and at the empty pots) and missing what once was.

I know that what I interpret is dark, but this is what I see in this poem. Its sad I know, but everyone has different opininons about poems, as with everything in life. Some might just see this poem as one about a man with dead plants in his house, but I see more. So forgive me if this has lowered your mood.

Im really a very, VERY happy person!!!!!!!! : D

Thanks for posting mika, I just love all of your posts!

P.s. YOUR BIRTHDAY IS COMING SOON! Arent you excited?!?
Very deep, which is just the way I like a poem!

p.p.s. Yes, i do think that the drawing looks like an early mr. men character. I just love them and the little miss’es. I rememeber them from little books when I was a child!

peace,love,music! and love always….

-sAmMy rAe ;D

(In the states!)

Haha that was very interesting.
I’d have to see more of his work.

God Bless,
Jess

and sariflor, i kill all my plants too.

But i’m pretty sure it’s my neighbour who peed on them and then stomped through them and my flowers who is to blame.

IN ARGENTINA WE LOST A GREAT FUNNY WRITER … “FONTANARROSA”, HE MAKE FANTASTIC HISTORIES WITH DRAWSS AND HUMOR

HERE IS THE WEBSITE

http://www.negrofontanarrosa.com

I THINK THAN YOU WILL LOVE THE DRAWS AND I HOPE DO YOU UNDERSTAND COUSE IS IN SPANISH

BESOTEEEEEEE

XX GABI XX

HI Mr. M:
I’ll have to think on this.
T H A N X.
Hope life is treating you well.

You have nice friends, they recommend you good movies and poets, mine only recommend therapists!
Besos desde Argentina.

ANDDDDD I SEE THE LIFE LIKE THE PLANTS…
COUSE THE LIFE IS SHORT LIKE THE LIFE PLANTS…
AND SOME TIMES THEY (LIFE-PLANTS) HAVE SOME COLOR…
SOME TIMES THEY ARE DAWN…
AND SOME TIMES COME THE SUN…
AND THEY ARE UP…
AND SOME TIMES COME SOMEBODY TO PULL UP OUR HEARTS LIKE SOMEBODY TO PULL UP A FLOWER…

XX GABI XX

OH… WE ARE SO HAPPY & UNHAPPY AT THE SAME TIME;BY READ YOUR OPINIONS BUT NOT UNDERSTAND ALL THE TEXT YOU HAVE WRITTEN.
EVEN THE POEM!
WHAT A PITY ABOUT THE LIMITS OF THE LANGUAGE (THEY SHOULDN´T EXIST).
WHATEVER, WE CAN GUESS THE DEEP MEANING OF THE WORDS.
IN A DAY WE´LL WORK TO TRADUCE EVERYTHING.HA!
WE LIKE TO SEE THAT WE HAVE A LIKE IN COMMON.
SOMETIMES IN THE SADNESS FLOURISH THE BEST WORDS!
SOME OF THAT I CAN CAPT IN YOUR SONG “OVER MY SHOULDER”
HOWEVER ANOTHER AMAZING SIDE OF YOUR PERSONALITY…
MUCHOS BESOS Y CARIÑOS DESDE LA PATAGONIA ARGENTINA!

i have heard of this poet…but never read his work.

i will look into it, though!

hope everything is going peachy
and that everyone is happy

I say hi to Yasmine, LOL!

love you Mika, xoxo
Kay.

He’s not exactly little miss sunshine is he? I’ve recently been drawn to Francis Picabia’s, I am a Beautiful Monster, for the same reasons. He was a Dadaist in love with Nietzsche, a bit more existential and more inaccessible, not a modernist like Bukowski. For instance, Picabia wrote, “Music reflects the external reality of the guide hungry for horror.” He illustrated his work as well.

I really liked the second one you posted because it perfectly expresses the creative paradox—the almost pathological nature of it. The first one though is so fatalistic. I tend to view that poem more about alcohol fueling his creativity because of the dryness, yellowing, dullness (the flowers are dead because of neglect, desertion–they’re potted houseplants–he’s not watering them), not necessarily the cyclicality of life. Leaves are tied to paper (the landlady’s note yellowed…the bills–that would be paid by his writing) and paper is tied to his writing too perhaps? Creative wells are drying up? Flowers are usually associated with life (and women too!). Maybe I’m wrong though. It’s fascinating how poets always return to plants. I’m currently writing on botany and poetry: mind-boggling how much of it there is. My question is: what do you think about the role of gender in that poem, Mika?…xr

Well . . . Dead plants . It makes me think about my mum, she is always worry about her plants but they always dye and I can’t get why . . . but I’m always mocking my mum .

I loved the poem, I love poetry . . . I love writing, it’s one of things I can do better . But whatever it’s not about me . I LOVE when he says “pain is absurd because it exists, nothing more;” sometimes I think just like that . It’s just pain… nothing more . I don’t know .

And in the second poem, I found amazing the way I think he tries to say “you think you understand me, but you don’t really do” . I think our life it’s always a bit like this, cause there are always people who think they know us, or understand us and in fact, they don’t do . Because we are just so many things than they think . . . I think there are just a very few people in the world who really understand and know us . . . I have about 5 people I can trust my heart, but just one of them really knows me and understands me when I speak .

Alala je savais que je le connaissais!! En fait la plupart des Français le connaissent parce qu’il a été invité à la fin des 70’s à l’émission littéraire ‘Apostrophes’, où il a fait un scandale et a du être évacué en direct!! Depuis chaque année pour les fêtes, on nous le ressort à chaque fois ,comme l’un des grands moments de la télé française lool!!

Bref,son nom m’était familier mais je ne m’étais jamais intéressée à son oeuvre! C’est un peu dur de lire des poèmes en anglais! Sa vie est un vrai roman à elle seule!Je soupçonne Wikipédia d’en avoir un peu rajouté…
Oh un petit lien sympa pour avoir un aperçu de son oeuvre littéraire mais pas seulement(il y a des caricatures etc), de sa vie etc… http://membres.lycos.fr/jkerouac/Bukowski.htm

Je dois avouer que le personnage me touche beaucoup bizarrement!!
Je ne suis pas trés à l’aise avec l’anglais mais je trouve le rapprochemnt entre sa vie et les plantes subtil mais assez évident (Il n’hésite pas à méler ses propres sensations et expériences à sa descriptions des plantes mortes)!

Je crois que ce que je préfère dans ce poème c’est le titre “The tragedy of the leaves” L’association de deux mots qui renvoie à deux mondes opposés : on parle de tragédies humaines alors que les feuilles renvoie au mondes des objets sans vie, sans émotion! Je ne sais pas si en anglais ma réflexion tient la route mais l’association est d’autant plus intéréssante que les feuilles c’est aussi là où l’écrivain couche ses mots!! C’est fou, je trouve ça incroyable comment en quelque mots certaines personnes arrivent à dire tant de choses…Son mal-être transpire tellement dans ce poême! La sensibilité est vraiment une qualité qui peut être lourde de douleur et de souffrance…Je me l’imagine bien habité par d’innombrables paradoxes tout en gardant une certaine cohérence dans son comportement!! Cela le rend tellement attachant…Sa souffrance dans ce poême me bouleverse un peu je dois l’avouer : ça doit être le fait qu’il est 3h40 du matin quelle idée d’écrire à cette heure-là mais je me suis laissée complément happée par sa vie…

Moi aussi j’y vois un certain humour: par exemple lorsqu’il parle des bouteilles vides ça m’étonnerait que ce soit qu’une référence aux bouteilles d’eau!!!lol Du coup le fait qu’il souligne leur inutilité m’a fait sourire!

Quelques-unes de ses citations:
J’adore celle-ci, bien qu’elle soit connue, d’autres avant lui ont dû la dire:
“Certains ne deviennent jamais fous… Leurs vies doivent être bien ennuyeuses.”

“Toi, tu es laid, et tu ne connais pas ta chance : au moins, si on t’aime, c’est pour une autre raison.»

«La poésie en dit long et c’est vite fait. La prose ne va pas très loin et prend du temps.»

“Je retourne aux putes et au scotch, pendant qu’il est encore temps. Si j’y risque ma peau, il me paraît moins grave de causer sa propre mort que celle des autres.”

Oh la vache en éditant mon post je viens de me rendre compte de sa longueur…je me fais vraiment peur parfois! Désolée pour ceux qui tenteront de me lire…s’il y en a!

PS: hope recording is going well for you!

I think it’s a lovely poem. a little sad, but wonderfull.
VOY A DORMIR PENSANDO EN LO QUE ACABO DE LEER…ES MARAVILLOSO…

In my house we’ve got a lots of plants and that make it the most beautiful place to be for me…

bajo uno de los arboles puedo pasar horas leyendo, sin tener noción del tiempo…

it´s really amazing in spring!!!!!!just lovely!!!!!

those plants are my little treasury, and I always try to take care of them…I think they´re a part of me.

LOVE

BESOS DESDE ARGENTINA!!!!!!(STILL WAITING FOR YOU)

HASTA LUEGO!!!!

OL

Not sure about this poet but I love Dr Seuss!

Good morning,MIKA.

Thanks Mika I love reading! nice suggestion!! Take care!!

xXSamanthaXx

*reads poem* I like the poem. And I can totally see what you mean by him adding humour towards the end. I giggled at the end part of it.

And yes, that drawing does look like the Mr. Men! I have some of those books:)

Thanks for sharing Mika =]

I find more humour in the second one than in the first. The first one paints a very clear, and depressing picture. Dead leaves don’t always seem a tragedy to me, but in this vision they are very depressing.

I do like the saying, “These words I write keep me from total madness” It is so true that in writing and/or in creating art one is able to “process life”, fend off madness, and perhaps even tickle a fancy here or there. I remember seeing another profound statement regarding the role of art in everyday life at the National Portrait Gallery in DC. But I don’t remember what it said. haha

And apparently they keep on sleeping.

I thought there would be comments all night long…

I’m bored.

Buenas noches!

I Like it, It’s truthful. None of that everything’s wonderful crap. Empty bottles are useless when you wake up alone and old, and you do feel that life has failed you when you can’t make rent and you’ve lost your hope. I really like it.

the first poem is sad

full of homesickness :S

Nothing can save you except writing.

Go to the racetrack Mika.

hey Mee,
This is my first to learn a poem so maybe it sounds stupid but don’t laugh at me, ok!
I feels life struggle, baffle but not catch at a straw yet….

I’ll try to read it more times and see what it brings to me cus I’m a eager student of you!

vxxx

Mika…next time you’re in Boston for a show, Sheila, Emi, Lara & I will take you to Bukowski’s. Named after your new fave poet.

Spin the beer wheel and see what you end up with.

At lunch burgers are only a dollar.

Come back soon
Chris

Hey Mika,

Thanks for sharing these, I was unfamiliar with his work.

For the second one, it resonated with me how people see artists and expect them to have it all figured out. That surely, they must not suffer and their life is golden or they have overcame their obstacles through success. When in reality, the best artists are the ones that do know suffering because their words come from their own truth. So, no life is perfect and money doesn’t solve problems, it actually just brings more. But cash can make the day easier for sure. So, I always relate more to singers who write their owns songs because they are singing from their own hearts. That was a big part of what tuned me into your music, especially with my interpretation and erase. However, I was so disappointed to know that the line If half of what you said is true, And half of what I didn’t do could be different, Would it make it better? wasn’t yours. I know when I heard that, I was like wow he gets it. That is one of the best song lyrics.

I especially like the last line of the first poem, how the world had failed them both. That the person causing you to struggle is struggling herself, striving to live.

Mr. Men, hmmmm would that be Mr. Happy in America. by Hargreaves?

Happy Birthday, all the best,

Katie

Poetry is amazing. You have to admire someone who is able to manipulate the human language so beautifully.

you are my boy!!! Bukowski is genius!!! I like his prose and poetry…I have read a lot of his books so I know what you mean when you are writing about him…Post Office…Women…Hollywood…General tales of Ordinary Madness or The last night of the earth Poems…Shakespeare never did this…It cathes in my head in its Hands…just perfect…

p.s.: one of our music band is called “Chinaski”

p.s.2: tomorrow is Bukowski´s birth day!

This time I needed chocolate - too triste….

ayy Dioos santoo!

hahahaa hahaa
soi de los primeroos ocmentariiooos! hahaha mika te amoo!

http://www.youtube.com/nadkascrazys

i like the idea of this blog . . . it shows more of you as a person . . . what you like, involving anything, not only the artistic subjects. . . you’re really making a difference . . . a nice and original way to connect to people in search of similar tastes, i guess . . . and to fans of course.

xo desde Santiago, Chile

wenno xD

eso se vee tristee
aunqe no entendi muy bien porqe nose mucho ingles

pero se vee asi como tristee como kiere decir de personas qe se sienten asi

o algo asi XD es mui bonita la poesia mika

amo tu blog
y amo qe pongaa las cosas qe te gustan
y creo qe esto es muy bello
la verdad

I think this is very sad.
The author talks about emotional pain
that is too heavy on him.
Sometimes the only way to live with the pain is to share the pain.
That is why he says “These words I write keep me from total madness”

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! Yes, that is what i think of the second poem.

I broke out into laughter because i know how that feels, i completely understand. Its a good feeling to.

I like this guys way of expressing himself. His humor is only by default, though, i think he does understand it though…who knows.

The Tragedy of Leaves is a good poem. It lacks something for me, but the humor in it is its saving grace. It’s like reading my own writing and maybe thats why i don’t really enjoy it as much.

On first impression, i said “amen!” after reading that poem. Its so true…

Anyways….

Literature fascinates me. It tantalizes my mind and creates understanding and imagery. I can never argue with that.

I don’t have any favorites…maybe Edgar Allen Poe. But i think it is his darkness that i am intrigued with more than anything.

At first glance at the drawing i thought you were going to talk about Mr Men characters.

I grew up watching the shows and reading the books. How could i not like them? I remember thinking that was complicated art. Just because it worked yet, it was so simple. lol!

Lets keep talking about literature.

ooo
C

you should check out my friends stop motion animation, its so great, he does the music and everything!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mpKiKY_f9s

Isn’t that AMAZING?

very interesting ,but i can’t understand it completely . i’m dutch and although my english isn’t so bad , it’s hard for me to undertstand english poems. i don’t know the meaning of some words

Mika this is all your fault!!!!

few hours ago i was going into every thread at MFC, whilst anxiously waiting for your next blog. I spent all my time on YOU SIR, instead of getting my stuffs ready for this long weekend on the beach (today is holiday in my country).

So the clock catched me up and i had no more than 10 mins to grab my things and get my butt in the car.

And now that i’ve arrived, guess what!!!! I left almost everything back at home!!!!!!!!! UN-BE-LIE-VA-BLE. I even forgot my rollerblades, which is the only reason why i came…. to rollerblade!!!!

this means mika i must stop this ridiculous obsession about trying to be the first one to comment your blogs (seems everybody wants lmao!!!)

ok, i had my say now im going to sleep. nighty night!

ps: still havent read your Bukowski’s blog …. still too deep for me now (1am).

painful and refreshing at the same time
Je ressens exactement la même chose en écoutant la musique et les paroles des auteurs compositeurs que j’aime et qui me touchent, que ce soit Souchon ou Mika!
C’est ce mélange de finesse,de couleur vive, de tendresse,de douleur, de joie qui font la différence chez un artiste. L’humour et l’auto-dérision aussi.
Tout ça, je le trouve dans ton/votre univers
la musique, les paroles et l’image
J’ai acheté ton album en mai 2007 et l’écoute chaque jour avec gd plaisir. Une personne a tout de suite compris que tu sortais du moule: Nagui à Taratata.
Je crois que bien des gens se fourvoient en te prenant pour un petit crétin disco.
Le poème ci-dessus, c’est la vie, c’est un artiste qui parle avec les mots de tous les jours et qui nous touche.
Ta musique, c’est pareil avec en plus de la JOIE malgré de la peine sous-jacente.
You are AN ARTIST . AN EXCELLENT MUSICIAN
AND my favourite young singer songwriter!
A bit crazy and clever
Your pop music is PAINFUL and very REFRESHING
Thank you for sending such messages
Je ne connaissais pas cet artiste et il correspond à ce que j’aime: des choses profondes passées avec un vocabulaire et des images simples
Tu réussis la même chose et c’est un grand bonheur!

Mica
Oh, the places you’ll go!
I prefer poems that put a smile on my face.

Seussy

Mika,,, me apresuro a firmarte
porq no hay muchas firmas todavía y tengo la esperanza de que esta la leas,,
no entendi mucho de lo que escribiste,, en realidad,,no entendi casi nada,, pero voy a leer a Bukowski, porque creo que tienes muy buen gusto y todas las cosas que vi de vos me gustaron como la musica que recomendste en pre-show music part 1,y cuando recomendaste a do-ho suh y a rachel whiteread…
tienes un gusto exelente.
me encantas mika,,
me encanta todo de vos.
mucha suerta
exitos
besos,,
lot of love

VEN A AGERTINAAAAAAAAA
VEN A ARGENTINAAAAAAAA
VEN A ARGENTINAAAAAAAA
PLEASEEEEEEEEE
VEN A ARGENTINAAAAAAAA

I can see your point. A little bit depressing, but there is some humor in the end. And it is so easy to see these images. Yes, a little moment can tell a huge story.

I am not familiar with his production, but I will read it, of course. Because your music means so much to me, and I want to learn what gives you inspiration. Embarrassing, I know, lol. You are so sweet sharing all these things, thank you. Take care, and have a nice weekend!

And, can see your point in the second poem too. Love your sense of humor.

That’s hard to read, my english isn’t Great…but I’ll try it again in a few hours…I’m still to tired to think.

Have a great day :]

xX

soo you see Mr Mika… in order to escape from this desolate (hehe) reality, us oddballs, join strange and interesting fan clubs, leave strange and whacky comments, and post somewhat ‘dodgy’ ‘forever love’ letters…eish shame! whatever gets one through the day!!
xxxxxx

Hello Mika !!

Thanks for all your message.
J’ai une question qui n’a rien à voir avec ton nouveau message.
Récemment, j’ai entendu Ring Ring sur une radion française. Est-ce un titre qui va ou qui est sorti en France?? Tu la chante dans tous tes concerts mais je ne l’avais pas encore entendu à la radio !!
Alors???

Love ++

Virginie

Wow, like it!
Thanks for sharing!
Love, Maaike xxx

Too busy here to take in the poetry….will re-read later when sons arenot creating ships out of the sofa!

Like the Mr Men reference though…LOL much more my typical day right now…..

Mika which Mr Man are you most like ?????

oxoxo Little Miss Busy Today

Hi Mika,

I see it like this: This writing is so depressing that ít chears me up, finding myself very positive!! But than we couldn’t find the positive things without comparing it with te negative could we?

hi mika, the poem you shared makes me think this:

bukowski really wrote to not become completely mad. in his poem he seems to write about his life and himself in his own words, he doesn’t even try to make it sound beautiful but subjective and honest. you can love that, or you can hate it. he says something and let his reader’s think about it.

if he was a musician, maybe he would be a sociocritical hip-hopper?

he isn’t afraid to deal with subjects other people usually avoid, like death. too much of his poems would probably get me down, he watches the world and his life from a brutally honest and non optimistic view.

**********

**********

well here i am again. i read a little of his biography, he was born in 1920, “world war time”-child, was abused by his father etc, hardly no stable relationships, died after all from leukemia. it’s not a life you’d say he had lots of happiness and calm.

**********

**********

especially this poem shocks and also touches me. he often uses words like “dead”, “pain”, “screaming”, “tragedy”, well words that wouldn’t appear in an optimistic happy poem
it’s somehow desperate because it shows a life of a man he can’t escape from but is forced to face it instead, who has no choice but living it.

lol quitte un peu ce blog, ça me fait bugger la page quand tu travailles dessus (si si je te vois !! heuuuuu oui …ah ben oui, ça veut dire que moi aussi… ça bug pour toi aussi si on laisse des messages et tu les valides en même temps?)

Je suis plus habitué aux sonnets de Shakespeare et donc je ne trouve pas ça si pessimiste que ça.
Mais oui, je sens ce que tu veux dire. La simplicité des termes et des images donne d’autant plus de force à ce qui est dit: pas moyen de se cacher derrière une hypothétique incompréhension due à la subtilité du langage poétique traditionnel.

C’est vrai que dans la structure des idées on retrouve celle des chansons. L’idée est exposée, et sa problématique, il y a un fil, mais ici aucune solution pour un “happy ending” n’est proposée. Bukovski nous met le nez dedans et à nous d’assumer cette réalité.
Ça secoue les neurones, ça fait du bien… mais en même temps tu as raison c’est bien noir. Je préfère positiver, c’est le seul moyen de faire venir les bonnes choses.

Tiens un petit poème en prose totalement positif celui-là: je te l’offre.

“Il était une fois, un crapaud à plumes bleues qui rêvait. De doux sons caressaient son esprit de mille effleurements. Des tintements de clochettes illuminaient l’atmosphère de scintillements multicolores et frais, tandis qu’une voix chaude et grave berçait son coeur comme une tendre brise d’été. Le parfum des arbres à papillons flottait alentour. Son âme errait dans les nuages qui dessinaient de divertissantes formes dans le ciel. Un ourson blanc se transforma en carrosse. Un colibri vint chatouiller ses cheveux dans un bourdonnement chaleureux, lui insufflant un sourire émerveillé. De délicats papillons lui offrirent le plus fascinant des ballets, dansant dans les fleurs comme autant de fées minuscules, chahutant les effluves suaves qui vinrent chatouiller un peu plus le nez affûté du crapaud. Subrepticement, la lune se faufila dans le ciel clair. Le soleil, reconnaissant, commença à descendre vers l’horizon tandis que le ciel se teintait de rose. La lune tira sa chaude couverture violette et vint border les étoiles, qui, telles des lucioles, s’étendirent à perte de vue. Émerveillé, le crapaud à plumes bleues s’allongea sous les fleurs et ses petits yeux globuleux se fermèrent doucement, bercés par le chant les cigales. Une douce torpeur l’envahit calmement à l’approche de rêves enchanteurs et plein de promesses…”

Bonjour Mika,

Je ne connaissais pas du tout ce poète… mon anglais était très limité et la traduction automatique n’étant pas terrible, je ne comprends pas toute la subtilité de ce poème.
Par contre, il est certain que s’il n’y avait plus de fleurs, d’arbres, bref tout ce qui fait notre belle nature…. la terre serait “morte”. Donc prenons soin de ce qui nous entoure ;o)

Voici un poème qu’on m’a fait lire il y a de ça quelques temps….

Liberté

Sur mes cahiers d’écolier
Sur mon pupitre et les arbres
Sur le sable sur la neige
J’écris ton nom

Sur toutes les pages lues
Sur toutes les pages blanches
Pierre sang papier ou cendre
J’écris ton nom

Sur les images dorées
Sur les armes des guerriers
Sur la couronne des rois
J’écris ton nom

Sur la jungle et le désert
Sur les nids sur les genêts
Sur l’écho de mon enfance
J’écris ton nom

Sur les merveilles des nuits
Sur le pain blanc des journées
Sur les saisons fiancées
J’écris ton nom

Sur tous mes chiffons d’azur
Sur l’étang soleil moisi
Sur le lac lune vivante
J’écris ton nom

Sur les champs sur l’horizon
Sur les ailes des oiseaux
Et sur le moulin des ombres
J’écris ton nom

Sur chaque bouffée d’aurore
Sur la mer sur les bateaux
Sur la montagne démente
J’écris ton nom

Sur la mousse des nuages
Sur les sueurs de l’orage
Sur la pluie épaisse et fade
J’écris ton nom

Sur les formes scintillantes
Sur les cloches des couleurs
Sur la vérité physique
J’écris ton nom

Sur les sentiers éveillés
Sur les routes déployées
Sur les places qui débordent
J’écris ton nom

Sur la lampe qui s’allume
Sur la lampe qui s’éteint
Sur mes maisons réunis
J’écris ton nom

Sur le fruit coupé en deux
Dur miroir et de ma chambre
Sur mon lit coquille vide
J’écris ton nom

Sur mon chien gourmand et tendre
Sur ces oreilles dressées
Sur sa patte maladroite
J’écris ton nom

Sur le tremplin de ma porte
Sur les objets familiers
Sur le flot du feu béni
J’écris ton nom

Sur toute chair accordée
Sur le front de mes amis
Sur chaque main qui se tend
J’écris ton nom

Sur la vitre des surprises
Sur les lèvres attentives
Bien au-dessus du silence
J’écris ton nom

Sur mes refuges détruits
Sur mes phares écroulés
Sur les murs de mon ennui
J’écris ton nom

Sur l’absence sans désir
Sur la solitude nue
Sur les marches de la mort
J’écris ton nom

Sur la santé revenue
Sur le risque disparu
Sur l’espoir sans souvenir
J’écris ton nom

Et par le pouvoir d’un mot
Je recommence ma vie
Je suis né pour te connaître
Pour te nommer

Liberté

(1942) - Le poème “Liberté” de Paul Eluard

Si tu veux en savoir plus… http://www.pierdelune.com/eluard.htm

Wordsworth (pre-1814), but just