Bukowski

One of my favorite poets for sure, actually I dont have too many favorites, so probably the favorite. His book Factotum is hillarious and the wrting is all as simple and poetic as this poem. They tried to make a movie of the book, I say tried because the genius of the book is in the words and sentences as much or more than the characters or storyline.

This is an early poem written sometime in the 1950's

Friendly Advice to a Lot of Young Men

Go to Tibet.
Ride a camel.
Read the bible.
Dye your shoes blue.
Grow a beard.
Circle the world in a paper canoe.
Subscribe to The Saturday Evening Post.
Chew on the left side of your mouth only.
Marry a woman with one leg and shave with a straight razor.
And carve your name in her arm.

Brush your teeth with gasoline.
Sleep all day and climb trees at night.
Be a monk and drink buckshot and beer.
Hold your head under water and play the violin.
Do a belly dance before pink candles.
Kill your dog.
Run for Mayor.
Live in a barrel.
Break your head with a hatchet.
Plant tulips in the rain.

But don't write poetry.