think of the beds
used again and again
to fuck in
to die in.
in this land
some of us fuck more than
we die
but most of us die
better than we
fuck,
and we die
piece by piece too—
in parks
eating ice cream, or
in igloos
of dementia,
or on straw mats
or upon disembarked
loves
or
or.
:beds beds beds
:toilets toilets toilets
the human sewage system
is the world’s greatest
invention.
and you invented me
and I invented you
and that’s why we don’t
get along
on this bed
any longer.
you were the world’s
greatest invention
until you
flushed me
away.
now it’s your turn
to wait for the touch
of the handle.
somebody will do it
to you,
bitch,
and if they don’t
you will—
mixed with your own
green or yellow or white
or blue
or lavender
goodbye.
Other works by Charles Bukowski...
