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Review Summary: perspective of an old man
Review: i was spoiled by bukowski when i read "love is a dog from hell". poems written about the time when the man stood close to the heat of the fire of his life. "last night on earth poems" seem to be looking at the glowing embers of that life. some good ones in there, to be sure, but if you expect the fire, you had been put a coat on. read it and understand more the thoughts and words of a man reflecting back.
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Review Summary: Fantastic!!
Review: I wish I discovered Bukowski earlier in my life. This book is just wonderful! Highly recommended!!!
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Review Summary: Bukowski Still Going Strong
Review: Having been a long standing fan of Bukowski's work I am partial to this book because it represents his later work which is just as powerful as any of his early lyrical work like Crucifix in a Deathand and It Catches My Heart In It's Hand. Poems like Dinosaura,We; In The Shadow of the Rose and My Uncle Jack capture the author still at the peak of his creative powers. Of course there are the typical Buk topics like horseracing, boozing, women, the outsiders, but Bukowski takes a soft turn by dedicating a poem to his wife which will catch many Buk fans surprisingly off guard. If you are new to Charles Bukowski's writing you will definitely want to get this book; it will inspire you to try his other books. If you're a long time Buk reader, you probably have this one in your collection already. I highly recommend The Last Night of the Earth Poems to everyone
that has a taste for earthy, lyrical and ballsy poetry.
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Review Summary: Death is smoking my cigars...
Review: ...and.....
The piano has been drinking
My necktie's asleep
The combo went back to New York, and left me all alone
The jukebox has to take a leak
Have you noticed that the carpet needs a haircut?
And the spotlight looks just like a prison break
And the telephone's out of cigarettes
As usual the balcony's on the make
And the piano has been drinking, heavily
The piano has been drinking
And he's on the hard stuff tonight
The piano has been drinking
And you can't find your waitress
Even with the Geiger counter
And I guarantee you that she will hate you
From the bottom of her glass
And all of your friends remind you
That you just can't get served without her
The piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking
And the lightman's blind in one eye
And he can't see out of the other
And the piano-tuner's got a hearing aid
And he showed up with his mother
And the piano has been drinking
Without fear of contradiction I say
The piano has been drinking
Our Father who art in ?
Hallowed by thy glass
Thy kindom come, thy will be done
On Earth as it is in the lounges
Give us this day our daily splash
Forgive us our hangovers
As we forgive all those who continue to hangover against us
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver from evil and someone you must all ride home
Because the piano has been drinking
And he's your friend not mine
Because the piano has been drinking
And he's not my responsibility
The bouncer is this Sumo wrestler
Kinda cream puff casper milk toast
And the owner is just a mental midget
With the I.Q. of a fencepost
I'm going down, hang onto me, I'm going down
Watch me skate across an acre of linoleum
I know I can do it, I'm in total control
And the piano has been drinking
And he's embarassing me
The piano has been drinking, he raided his mini bar
The piano has been drinking
And the bar stools are all on fire
And all the newspapers were just fooling
And the ash-trays have retired
And I've got a feeling that the piano has been drinking
It's just a hunch
The piano has been drinking and he's going to lose his lunch
And the piano has been drinking
Not me, not me, The piano has been drinking not me
Enjoy this book kiddies. Buk can do no wrong, he never did. Turn on only one lamp, with no shade (as if there ever was one), open up a bottle of Ol' Red Eye, throw the cap away, put on some T.Waits, and cherish the fact that you and your misery are not as alone as you thought.
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Review Summary: Read them out loud
Review: This was the first Bukowski I've read. The poems are less poetry-like and more short stories in columns. They've got a great rhythm. They're better when you read them out loud, which works better when you live alone. What amazes me is that this book is 405 pages long, and it's one of forty-five books by Bukowski, mostly books of poetry. That's pretty prolific. This one was published in 1992. There's a lot of poems about being old and getting ready to die. And a lot about drinking.