Beowulf may have killed Grendel and
Grendel’s mother
but he
couldn’t kill this
one:
moves around with broken back and
eyes of spittle
has cancer
sweeps with a broom
smiles and kills
germs germans gladiolas
sits in the bathtub
with a piece of soap and
reads the newspaper about the
Bomb and Vietnam and the freeways
and it smiles and then
gets out naked
doesn’t use a towel
goes outside
and rapes young girls
kills them and
throws them aside like
steakbone
walks into a bedroom and watches
lovers fuck
stops the clock at
1:30 a.m.
turns a man into a rock while he
reads a book
the beast
spoils candy
causes mournful songs to be
created
makes birds stop
flying
even killed Beowulf
the brave Beowulf who
had killed Grendel and Grendel’s
mother
look
even the whores at the bar
think about it
drink too much and
almost
forget business.
Other works by Charles Bukowski...
