Bibliofreakblog

FreeVerse: Poem for my 43rd Birthday

Dear God do not think that I am 43 years old.  I certainly didn’t write it.  Please don’t call me ma’am, either.

Lemme back up.  I have suddenly become addicted to reddit.  TIL (that’s “today I learned”…though, actually, I’m writing this in advance, it is actually Monday) that this week is Charles Bukowski’s birthday.  He would have been 90.  

In the post about this, there was a link to this nice little poem, that he, apparently, wrote on his 43rd birthday.

I found this to be most appropriate for a FreeVerse post.

“Poem for My 43rd Birthday” by Charles Bukowski

To end up alone
in a tomb of a room
without cigarettes
or wine–
just a lightbulb
and a potbelly,
grayhaired,
and glad to have
the room.