Charles Bukowski - The Poetry Reading

My brother gave me Charles Bukowski's book Pulp as a birthday present a few years back and it quickly became one of my favorites. Bukowski in general is devoid of subtlety, which is likely why I wanted to use one of this poems as a short film. Here I use his The Poetry Reading along with backing from The Antlers' Kettering with some footage from a cold day in Atlantic City.

The Poetry Reading

at high noonat a small college near the beachsoberthe sweat running down my armsa spot of sweat on the tableI flatten it with my fingerblood money blood moneymy god they must think I love this like the othersbut it’s for bread and beer and rentblood moneyI’m tense lousy feel badpoor people I’m failing I’m failinga woman gets upwalks outslams the doora dirty poemsomebody told me not to read dirty poemshereit’s too late.my eyes can’t see some linesI read itout—desperate tremblinglousythey can’t hear my voiceand I say,I quit, that’s it, I’mfinished.and later in my roomthere’s scotch and beer:the blood of a coward.this thenwill be my destiny:scrabbling for pennies in tiny dark hallsreading poems I have long since become tiredof.and I used to thinkthat men who drove busesor cleaned out latrinesor murdered men in alleys werefools.

2010 is going to be a creative year and I wanted it kick it off right.Charles Bukowski - The Poetry Reading from J. Christopher Rodgers on Vimeo.