Charles Bukowski

once in a while

it is only
once in a while
that you see
someone whose
electricity
and presence
matches yours
at that
moment

and then
usually it's
a stranger.

it was 3 or 4
years ago
i was walking on
Sunset Blvd
toward Vermont
when
a block away
i noticed a
figure moving
toward me.

there was something
in her carriage
and in her walk
which
attracted
me.

as we came
closer
the intensity
increased.

suddenly
i knew her
entire history:
she had lived
all her life
with men
who had never really
known her.

as she approached
i became almost
dizzy.

i could hear her
footsteps as
she approached.

i looked into
her face.

she was as
beautiful
as i had
imagined she
would be.

as we passed
our eyes fucked
and loved and
sang to each
other

and then
she moved
past me.

i walked on
not looking
back.

then
when i looked
back
she was
gone.

what is one
to do
in a world
where almost everything
worth having
or doing
is
impossible?

I went into
a coffee shop
and decided that
if i ever saw
her again somehow,
I'd say
"listen, please
i just must
speak to
you..."

I never saw her
again

I never will.

the iron in our
society silences
a man's
heart

and when you
silence a man's
heart
you leave him
finally with only
a cock.