Although I had read him, I did not have a Bukowski "phase" that many do. I was introduced to him by a man who had worked for the United States Postal Service, which he frequently derided. He said to me, "If you want to find someone who hates the Postal Service more than I do, check this out ..."
Well, I did, and read other things, and eventually began to recognize his contribution to culture, which is kind of a last step before my awareness of a particular author might fade, the way "The Copulating Mermaid of Venice, California" turns up in the concept for the Tom Petty video for "Mary Jane's Last Dance," and so on; I recognize, nod, and forget. I hadn't thought about him in years until I stumbled across "The Laughing Heart" as I was in a late night fit of hating my job. A part went "... be on the watch. the gods will offer you chances," which struck me as a kind of admonition. It was one I took to heart, because a "chance" happened not long after and I, in a rare fit of boldness, took it.
Some of his short stories stood out, the fantastical ones, and of course the poetry. The poetry here is just ... well, one can imagine the early transporters in the Trek universe not working particularly well. Something emerges at the other end, it has a similar shape to it but doesn't quite fit together well enough, and you're left with something you hope will die on its own before it realizes what has happened to it. The "vulgar poem" sample is like that, some kind of tortured Bukowski clone flopped out of a steaming vat, bleated an unnatural sound, and then you don't know if you're crushing its head out of mercy or disgust, but you'd rather not have that happen again.
And the article provides a handy index of avoiding such abominations, to boot!
