Its only in the last few years that I’ve begun to enjoy poetry, as a youngster it never really resonated with me, but time changes all things even my appreciation of poetry. More than anything else I found that poetry made me think and question and sometimes to imagine that I might even understand just a little of the way the world works & for this I can only be thankful.
Amongst my favourites I have to say is Bukowski, a boozy American who you could describe as being at times a low life, he spent most of his life completely sozzled, was arguably a misogynist and an all round loathsome kind of man. I started reading some of his books and then discovered his poetry.
For a bloke that spent so much of his time in the gutter when he put pen to paper he had an ability to go far beyond the depths that he chose to inhabit, for me perhaps why I like his work so much is that he is undoubtably an imperfect man, full of darkness and yet for all of his foibles he had a gift for describing the human experience and for shining a light on it despite himself.
here are a few spoken word versions, the first ‘Genius of the crowd’ has Sarajevo a piece of music I rather like as background, some people have found it a bit much, its melodramatic but I like it.
Next up is a poem by a bloke called Constantine Cavafy, written a century ago by A Greek born in Egypt. Now this might not seem relevant to 2021, but I discovered this poem and immediately it grabbed me. Despite arcane historical references it is a fabulous piece on the journey of life.
Pablo Neruda, Even translated from his mother tongue into English Nerudas words are something special
Walter Wintle – Who he?
Robert Frosts The Road not taken gets trotted out rather regularly, but there you go, it speaks for itself.
And one more, is it. poem? I think so.
fiftyfreeandsingle 