The Laughing Heart
by Charles Bukowski
your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is 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.
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Bukowski, Charles. The Laughing Heart. Santa Rosa, California: Black Sparrow Press, 1996.
You can read more about the poet here.
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I wish you mindfulness, peace, good health, the recognition that you are marvelous, and poetry as the week winds down.
My daughter has been feeling the world's heartaches a bit more this past week, as have I, and I've been reminding her that while there isn't always a lot we can do about it, we can at least help ourselves to feel better by looking for the goodness and light in the world. This lovely poem is a great reminder of that -- thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThat was exactly what I needed this morning, Bonny. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat is one of my very favorite poems, Bonny, In fact, I found a lovely printed version of it a few years ago, and now have it framed and hung on a wall in my house. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful and always appropriate poem today. XOXO
ReplyDeleteI love this one! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteA great share Bonny - what a wonderful poem. It does remind me of the quote from Leonard Cohen: "There's a crack in everything...that's how the light gets in."
ReplyDeleteOh, Bonny, you don't know how much I needed this poem today! I am heartsick today (and actually all this week) about what is going on in the world. The worst part is knowing that there is very little I can do to change any of it. You and my husband both remind me that I must acknowledge the realities and accept my powerlessness to change it. So, today I will I will strive to develop a laughing heart and reset my outlook. I will try to float on the surface of the world today. Thank you for this!
ReplyDeletePerfect Bonny, and I'm going to be smiling about that Wonder Bread balloon for a while. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThat is a perfect poem for today. I just read a quote about poetry that said the rhythm of the words and the breath are at the heart of poetry. So we all just need to keep breathing - putting one foot in front of the other. I love the balloons. Sometimes I'd like to float - up, up, and away from the news.
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