I should think that many of our poets, the honest ones, will confess to having no manifesto. It is a painful confession but the art of poetry carries its own powers without having to break them down into critical listings. I do not mean that poetry should be raffish and irresponsible clown tossing off words into the void. But the very feeling of a good poem carries its own reason for being... Art is its own excuse, and itโs either Art or itโs something else. Itโs either a poem or a piece of cheese.
Charles BukowskiFirst paycheck I get, I thought, I'm going to get myself a room near the downtown L.A. Public Library.
Charles BukowskiFor each Joan of Arc there is a Hitler perched at the other end of the teeter-totter.
Charles BukowskiI knew I was strong, and maybe like they said, "crazy." But I had this feeling inside of me that something real was there.
Charles Bukowski