Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Poetry

I'm doing a book review for "Loser Makes Good" by local poet and constant SD City Beat Fiction 101 contest winner Greg Gerding. And in doing some research I found a great poem by one of my teens/twenties faves...(click 'keep on reading' for more)

"Style"

Style is the answer to everything.
Fresh way to approach a dull or dangerous day.
To do a dull thing with style is preferable to doing a dangerous thing without style.
To do a dangerous thing with style, is what I call art.
Bullfighting can be an art.
Boxing can be an art.
Loving can be an art.
Opening a can of sardines can be an art.
Not many have style.
Not many can keep style.
I have seen dogs with more style than men.
Although not many dogs have style.
Cats have it with abundance.

When Hemingway put his brains to the wall with a shotgun, that was style.
For sometimes people give you style.
Joan of Arc had style.
John the Baptist.
Jesus.
Socrates.
Caesar.
GarcĂ­a Lorca.
I have met men in jail with style.
I have met more men in jail with style than men out of jail.
Style is a difference, a way of doing, a way of being done.
Six herons standing quietly in a pool of water, or you, walking
out of the bathroom without seeing me.

Charles Bukowski


... I recall as bit of a public forum going on here about hipsters vs.fat ugly haters that aren't getting laid anymore etc... remember that one? Hot topic...man!

Style doesn't just mean fashion sense, or lack of it. It can encompass: manners(or lack thereof), mood, tact, decorum, etiquette, interest/confidence level... What's your "style"?

Cheers!

2 comments:

Lazy John said...

My style is to be candid and no-nonsense in a way that does not aim to hurt people. My style is to express myself effectively in as few words as possible My style is to not worry about toxic people but to avoid contact with them. My style is to tell it like it is and not adhere to doctrine or dogma.

abraham said...

splendid, john.