Lately I find that one of the few things that makes me feel good enough to smile or giggle or cackle, never mind if I'm in public or not, is reading the works of Charles Bukowski. The last thing I do, before I leave the Powell's on Hawthorne, is make my way to the "B" section of the Poetry aisle and delve into his stuff, and it always, always makes me want to give him a high-five, or something. I realize that if he were alive, and we met, he'd probably ignore me, and I him, which is somehow even more of a pleasing idea. Anyway, here's one of his:

Buddha Chinaski Says

sometimes
you have to take
a step or
two
back,
re-
treat

take
a month
off

don't
do anything
don't
want to
do anything.

peace is
paramount
pace is
paramount

whatever
you want
you aren't going to
get
it by
trying too
hard.

take
ten years
off

you'll
be
stronger

take
twenty years
off

you'll
be much
stronger.

there's nothing to
win
anyhow.

and
remember the second best thing in
the world
is
a good night's
sleep

and
the best:
a gentle
death.

meanwhile
pay your gas
bill
if you can
and
stay out of
arguements with the
wife.

It's at times like these, giggling and nodding and "Yup yup"-ing, that I think he's really one of the only people who consistently gives me advice that's both easy to understand and follow and actually worth a damn. If I could do nothing but eat burritos from Cha Cha Cha, read his stuff, go for long walks in nature, and lounge about in bed with you non-stop, I think I'd really be a Happy Person. But who knows?