Bar Flies

I was mentioning to a friend who had passed the Rich video featuring Mickey Rourke-a rightish character who reemerged in The Wrestler-- something I wrote about years ago or something about wrestling in general.  I reminded him that Rourke played Bukowski in 'Bar Fly' and he reminded me that Axl and Rourke were friends.  I post the Bukowski poem below, stolen from the LRC blog and Butler Schaefer, for no other reason then it means someone else, who pinged Schaefer, who gets it, is still out there.

What can we do?
at their best, there is gentleness in Humanity.
some understanding and, at times, acts of courage.
but all in all it is a mass, a glob that doesn’t have too much.
it is like a large animal deep in sleep and almost nothing can awaken it.
when activated it’s best at brutality, selfishness, unjust judgments, murder.
what can we do with it, this Humanity?
nothing.
avoid the thing as much as possible.
treat it as you would anything poisonous, vicious, and mindless.
but be careful. it has enacted law to protect itself from you.
it can kill you without cause.
and to escape it you must be subtle.
few escape.
it’s up to you to figure a plan.
I have met nobody who has escaped.
I have met some of the great and famous but they have not escaped
for they are only great and famous within Humanity.
I have not escaped
but I have not failed in trying again and again.
before my death I hope to obtain my life.
—       Charles Bukowski