My Mom’s Visiting from California, and I’m Busy Chauffeuring Her and the Kids Around Town to Clang in the the Trolley, Toot in the Train, Bob in the Lake, Strike (Out) in the Bowling Alley, and Gnosh on Sweet Treats, So I Haven’t a Breaf in My Body Left for the Blogging I Really Want to Do–All of Which, In Sum, Means I’m Quickly Tossing Out a Poem I Love, One That Captures My Current August Zing

Indeed, this poem has a summertime feeling for me–bright and cornucopial and ticking along.

I’d like to fancy myself the woman in this poem, but the truth is I’m more the lucky fool.

THE RED PORSCHE By Charles Bukowski

it feels good
to be driven about in a red
porsche
by a woman better-
read than I
am.
it feels good
to be driven about in a red
porsche
by a woman who can explain
things about
classical
music to
me.

it feels good
to be driven about in a red
porsche
by a woman who buys
things for my refrigerator
and my
kitchen:
cherries, plums, lettuce, celery,
green onions, brown onions,
eggs, muffins, long
chilis, brown sugar,
Italian seasoning, oregano, white
wine vinegar, pompeian olive oil
and red
radishes.

I like being driven about
in a red porsche
while I smoke cigarettes in
gentle languor.

I’m lucky. I’ve always been
lucky:
even when I was starving to death
the bands were playing for
me.
but the red porsche is very nice
and she is
too, and I’ve learned to feel good when
I feel good.

it’s better to be driven around in a
red porsche
than to own
one. the luck of the fool is
inviolate.

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23 responses to “My Mom’s Visiting from California, and I’m Busy Chauffeuring Her and the Kids Around Town to Clang in the the Trolley, Toot in the Train, Bob in the Lake, Strike (Out) in the Bowling Alley, and Gnosh on Sweet Treats, So I Haven’t a Breaf in My Body Left for the Blogging I Really Want to Do–All of Which, In Sum, Means I’m Quickly Tossing Out a Poem I Love, One That Captures My Current August Zing”

  1. flutter Avatar
    flutter

    ah you managed to find the only bukowski poem that I totally love

  2. Logophile Avatar
    Logophile

    I recently looked through Flash of Lightning on the Mountain (or whatever that title is) again. Nice choice, madame, I like that one.
    Hope you get some blog time soon, we enjoy it when you do

  3. Glamourpuss Avatar
    Glamourpuss

    I wish more things in life were inviolate…

    Puss

  4. chelle Avatar
    chelle

    Hope the visit is totally fantastic!

  5. lime Avatar
    lime

    the fool is indeed luckier because he isn’t the one who has to pay for gas and new transmissions….of course i could just be projecting my own frustration here.

    have fun!

  6. Minnesota Matron Avatar
    Minnesota Matron

    Lovely poem. The Matron is always dressed in a shade of Harried Mama-Wife-Daughter-Worker. Good luck.

  7. Janelle Avatar
    Janelle

    just finished reading a bukowski collection…this poem is fab fab..like driving throught paris in the springtime..in a red porshe…hooah…X janelle

  8. Dragonfly Dreaming Avatar
    Dragonfly Dreaming

    The cost of gas these days…it would be better to have someone drive you around in a Porsche than own one. 😉 Charles rocks.

    Enjoy your visit!

  9. citizen of the world Avatar
    citizen of the world

    I have a visit from the mother unit coming up later in the month. I’ll be playing chauffer, too. But no porsche.

  10. Claire Avatar
    Claire

    I’d be a fool, if I could have (good) luck.

  11. Princess Pointful Avatar
    Princess Pointful

    I’m becoming more of a fan with Mr. Bukowski with each poem I read. And what a delicious last stanza!

  12. Pam Avatar
    Pam

    You led me on an interesting trawl through his poems. Thanks for that, but hopefully his two-liner,
    “The phone rang at 1.30 a.m.
    and it was a man from Denver”can lead me to say, I write poems just like Bukowski,
    “The doorbell rang at 5.30p.m.
    It was the next-door’s mother”. I liked the poem you chose, and I like a lot of his others also.

  13. pistols at dawn Avatar
    pistols at dawn

    Better than everything else I’ve ever read by him by far.

  14. geewits Avatar
    geewits

    Hey, have fun with the visiting. I really loved your garden pics. And (get ready to roll your eyes) his name is Jack Daniel. Mr. Jack Daniel. I have a Jack Daniel’s calendar hanging next to the computer (a long stupid story) and I happened to check it the other day to see what day of the week my Dad’s 10th Deathaversary would fall on and on the very day my Dad died, it said, “Jack Daniel dies – 1911.” How weird is that? I think Dad would get a kick out of that.

  15. rak Avatar
    rak

    anyone can drive me around and stock my fridge with such goodness 🙂

  16. Diana Avatar
    Diana

    You would so look fabulous in that car. If the universe were worth its salt, someone fitting would show up at your door just to drive you around in it, gauzy scarf over the arm for tying ’round your hair, ends flying back in the breeze.

  17. Minnesota Matron Avatar
    Minnesota Matron

    The Matron sent you some love on her blog today, sweetie. . . is Jim Berg like Kevin Bacon? Six degrees?

  18. Say It Avatar
    Say It

    Oh to be the the lucky fool! And no doubt its better to be driven in a porshe than to own one!

  19. Lisa Avatar
    Lisa

    I have never read that poem before…I like it! Happy chauffeuring!

  20. steppingoverthejunk Avatar
    steppingoverthejunk

    one day, I will have a two seater

  21. heartinsanfrancisco Avatar
    heartinsanfrancisco

    “The luck of the fool is inviolate…” What a fantastic line!

    Although I must confess that I would not mind owning a red Porsche and am fairly certain that I would even enjoy it. (I’m so plebeian.)

  22. steve Avatar
    steve

    Oh, that’s nice. I definitely identify with the lucky fool, too. Why have a unicycle when you can be with someone who owns one, for example.

    I draw the line at canoes, though. Gotta have your own canoe.

  23. Maddy Avatar
    Maddy

    Too tired for wit I’m afraid. I like red cars though, not fussed about the rest of it. Red would mean that you could always find it again in the car park. Hope your mum had a great visit?
    Cheers

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