until the last day or night of your life

---

"what you've got I don't need and
what I need you don't
have," she said to
him

and he got into his
clothes and into his car and
drove down the streets of
night
thinking, what I got I
need; in fact, i need it more
all the
time

he parked outside the bar
went in
had a whiskey with beer-
chaser
then went to the phone
dialed the
number.

"hello," she
said.

"hello," he said, "I
won't be
back."

"What about your
clothes?"

"throw them
out."

he hung up
went back to the
barstool for
refills.

"how's it going?"
asked the
barkeep.

"about the same,"
he
answered.

"nothin' new,
eh?"

"no."

the barkeep walked off

as he
looked down at the
whiskey and
thought, old friend, you may
kill me
but you've got
what I
need.

he smiled and
waited for
that.


charles bukowski

---

Comments

[richard]

exquisite as ever

[carla]

hello
when will we see you?