Hell is a Lonely Place by Charles Bukowski (read by Tom O'Bedlam)
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- Опубліковано 7 тра 2011
- Diaper is more commonly pronounced as two-syllables these days, but older people are more likely to pronounce as three syllables. I didn't actually know this until my wife said she pronounced it differently. This is just the sort of peccadillo that disproportionately irritates some people (including me) so I apologise for it.
www.adisc.org/forum/diaper-tal...
The painting is an example of "metamorphic style" by Octavio Ocampo. It shows an an old couple or a young one depending on how your mind interprets what your eyes see.
he was 65, his wife was 66, had
Alzheimer's disease.
he had cancer of the
mouth.
there were
operations, radiation
treatments
which decayed the bones in his jaw
which then had to be
wired.
daily he put his wife in
rubber diapers
like a baby.
unable to drive in his
condition
he had to take a taxi to
the medical
center,
had difficulty speaking,
had to
write the directions down.
on his last visit
they informed him
there would be another
operation: a bit more
left
cheek and a bit more
tongue.
when he returned
he changed his wife's
diapers
put on the tv
dinners, watched the
evening news
then went to the bedroom, got the
gun, put it to her
temple, fired.
she fell to the
left, he sat upon the
couch
put the gun into his
mouth, pulled the
trigger.
the shots didn't arouse
the neighbors.
later
the burning tv dinners
did.
somebody arrived, pushed
the door open, saw
it.
soon
the police arrived and
went through their
routine, found
some items:
a closed savings
account and
a checkbook with a
balance of
$1.14
suicide, they
deduced.
in three weeks
there were two
new tenants:
a computer engineer
named
Ross
and his wife
Anatana
who studied
ballet.
they looked like another
upwardly mobile
pair. - Розваги
Bukowski gets to the core of things, doesn't he? I must envision this couples' lives together as having been beautiful, at least at some point, before so cruelly ended, I admire the husband's courage to chose when he believed he could no longer care for his demented wife, Either choice requires courage. Should the young couple not be upwardly mobile while fate permits them to be? The dance continues. None of us is getting out of here alive. Long may you keep dancing, Tom. Lovely reading.
Life is taken for granted by children and young adults. After many years of work, and all the building and saving is done, the soles of the shoes are worn thin, and life seems to short. Then the roof leaks, the savings isn't enough, the daily pain wears on the mind like being locked in a cell,, and life becomes far too long.. You used to wonder what lies beyond this life, but now it doesn't really matter,, does it?
The most tragic part is the end. "Another upwardly mobile pair", which means the 60+ couple were also an "upwardly mobile pair" when they first moved into the flat. 4 words, a concise phrase, brutally, sort of carelessly dropped, to describe the cyclic nature of all that.
Shit... What a way to start my morning.
Seriously, this is my first time with this poem and I was shocked I was not expecting ths
I must say, apart from Bukowski himself, you have the best voice and reading for these poems
AGREE! How truly understands HOW TO READ the classics. The pauses, the syntax. The reason classic poetry was written SO WELL was for this purpose, to be translated emotionally correct. GOSH I love hearing him read them.
Well then! I'm glad this was written, BRUTAL but beautiful!
This hurts. It's exhilarating to feel this strongly.
This one kills me. The reality of it kills it. The absurdity of life described in this poem kills me. The fact that, for each human being on this planet, life is nothing but a stupid matter of time.
I find Bukowski to be brutally honest in his writing, he certainly cuts to the core of things. It saddens me but such is life at times.
Thank you for your reading. Wonderful as always.
Such a fascinating thumbnail
Ahhhhhh the ugly Truth. Their Life together was grand but their ending was tragic. Live in Hope, die in Despair.
There are no words for how awe inspiring his writing is.
This poem kills me, hell is a real thing on earth, I'm young it's not my reailty. But i see it, i see it in my mum and probley i will see it one day, the fucking human condition.
Health, try to take care of your health more then anything, we all die one day but i don't know, try, please try, we all wish for death sometimes and play it out in drink/drugs but fight the dieing light. There are people that love you and will miss you.
we tend to forget that it does not matter how it is we die but in how we live
i dread what lies ahead in the last of my days.....I pray it may be in my sleep or on top of my beautiful wife....
Wow, this one made me almost cry-if I wasn’t at work listening to this I would have.
That's the most single-handedly depressing poem I've ever heard. That and Death of a Ball Turret Gunner
I like that you did an American accent reading an American poet. That was a nice touch! Thanks for the reading, and keep recording!
Herodotus
That was awsome, especially with the picture at the end, symbolizing an older, and a younger couple, which they themselves will become one day, and will have some of the same problems, and may do the same thing.
You may know Philip Levine but if you don't he's worth it, working class from Detroit.
Here's a part of one of his poems:
We stand in the rain in a long line
waiting at Ford Highland Park. For work.
You know what work is-if you’re
old enough to read this you know what
work is, although you may not do it.
Forget you. This is about waiting,
shifting from one foot to another.
Feeling the light rain falling like mist
into your hair, blurring your vision
until you think you see your own brother
The painting also has a chalice or goblet between them
What just happened
I don't know why this hit me so hard
Wow just wow
well what a poem indeed
absolutely beautiful. stunning. reading.
this is my husband and i. but hell is also a beautiful place.
Bukowski could write stuff that can shake you to your core.
I miss Buk. But I think he left us at about the right time. He had suffered enough.
The circle of life, tragic as it is.
I like your pronunciation of diapers.
Incredibly powerful.....and sad...but very true and it hurts.
Horribly beautiful...
great selection, this one always sends me back into nostalgia, thanks kindly-cheers from san diego
that is POWERFUL ...
Love it ......
Beautiful reading. I didn't know the poem. Thanks.
Love your channel
The interesting thing to me is WHY one chooses to look at the painting in one of two ways. If viewed from the margins toward the center one sees the old couple. The young couple is seen when viewing the painting from the center out to the margins.
Good idea! This was the right temple? I prefer it.
Good poem. Good reading. Thanks for posting.
heavy... wonderfull... wow
The Human voice !
I believe it was Camu that asked or stated the question all must face every day: which is to go on with the charade to get on with it knowing it is but a trifling affair, but, if we can bring a smile, alleviate some pain in another then we find a purpose other than that it is all just a comedy an ironic cruel joke to pass the time not much more than that - Thanks
Reality.
Wow.
brilliant!!
hey everyone, buk is my favorite writer. can someone recommend similar poets or authors that are similar but lesser known? ie not hemingway or carver. this channel is amazing.
Heavy decision for the husband, right decision? Not sure but realistically this happens to us all, death
this is now mu favoritw poem
That was his style brutal reality it's no wonder he drank so much.
Perfect reading for Chinaski. Well done Tom O'Bedlam. I am now subscribed to your channel
Wonderfully heavy
GREAT POEM !!! WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE PICTURE OF THE TWO ELDERLY FOLKS AT THE BEGINNING AND THE END?
I read a lot of Bukowski but have never come across this one. Made me cry. Now that he is dead they publish every scrape that Bukowsky ever wrote work . Some of it isn't very good but then you see a piece like this and say, "Man that guy knew something profound and wasn't affraid to tell you about it. Thanks for posting
this is so grim it has made me cry laughing. Time to get out of bed.
I don't view this poem as gratuitously despairing, or depressing. It as a reality check to help a younger generation navigate their way through the decisions about what their life will be about, and what their legacy will be, and most importantly, how they will look back at it in the end. I also understand why you opted to disable ratings for this one. It's message transcends popularity ratings.
David Lerner, for sure. Jack Micheline as well.
The absurdity of life
brutal story implies in the poem
Wow.....
Where can i find everything Tom O'Bedlam read about Charles Bukowski
Click on SpokenVerse above to get to the channel page, then Playlists then Bukowski. You can play them all or just pick the ones you want to hear. With regards, Tom.
SpokenVerse Thanks alot !
Holy moly consider me subscribed!
As sad as it is, it must have been inspiring--at least to Dr. Kevorkian!
brilliant poem, with plenty of scarcasim.
A love story ♥ not hell they had a good life together.
Damn, that is a depressing poem.
This is the saddest poem I've ever heard. The reality. Its not romantic but poetic nonetheless..
Please, some Cohen .....
he just telling a story..what kind of a poem is this? Is this really a poem?