Charles Bukowski

The Day it Rained at the Los Angeles County Museum

The jew bent over and
died. 99 machine guns
were shipped to France. somebody won the 3rd race
while I inspected
the propeller of an old monoplane
a man came by with a patch over his eye. it began to
rain, it rained and it rained and the ambulances ran
together
in the streets, and although
everything was properly dull
I enjoyed the moment
like the time in New Orleans
living on candy bars
and watching the pigeons
in a back alley with a French name
as behind me the river became
a gulf
and the clouds moved sickly through
a sky that had died
about the time Caesar was knifed,
and I promised myself then
that someday I’d remember it
as it was.
a man came by and coughed.
think it’ll stop raining? he said.
I didn’t answer. I touched the
old propeller and listened to the
ants on the roof rushing over
the edge of the world, go away, I said,
go away or I’ll call
the guard.
Other works by Charles Bukowski...



Top