“Show Biz,” Charles Bukowski Poem

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Another Charles Bukowski poem from The Last Night of the Earth Poems. This one is called “show biz,” and it offers some life advice. That advice is similar to his life motto “Don’t try,” which he was so dedicated to he had it put on his headstone. While many mistake that to mean living a slothful life, it is instead a call to move with fluidity through one’s life, seeking without pushing, letting it come to you and pushing it back out again.

The poem can be read as a celebration of survival, also represents a grim slice of life, making the title feel ironic. Still, it has a stoic acceptance and gratitude vibe arguing for getting on with it.

show biz, by Charles Bukowski
I can’t have it
and you can’t have it
and we won’t
get it

so don’t bet on it
or even think about
it
just get out of bed
each morning

wash
shave
clothe
yourself
and go out into
it

because
outside of that
all that’s left
is suicide
and madness

so you just
can’t
expect too much

you can’t even
expect

so what you do
is
work from a modest
minimal
base

like when you
walk outside
be glad your car
might possibly
be there

and if it is –
that the tires
aren’t
flat

then you get
in
and if it
starts – you
start.

and
it’s the damndest
movie
you’ve ever
seen
because
you’re
in it –

low budget
and
4 billion
critics

and the longest
run
you ever hope
for
is

one
day.