Tag Archives: tom waits

The surprising beauty of Bukowski

Ahoy! The April class wrapped up (delightful stories, lovely students) and life kicked into high gear for me, including intense family drama, and other unexpected diversions. Exhausted by my ever-crazy schedule, I am taking a summer vacation. I’ll post here on the blog when I find truly wonderful things to share, but the next class won’t run until October. I need some time to write my own stories, and to finally make serious headway on this publishing thing I’ve been trying to do for the past year.

To celebrate this shifting of gears, I offer you an unexpected and entirely tender gem (courtesy of Coilhouse):

The Laughing Heart

your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.

–Charles Bukowski