Poems about the track

H

Hindinwood

Hey all,

I was wondering if anyone could suggest a favorite Bukowski poem about the race track. I'm printing a book of my final project for photojournalism, which is photos of Santa Anita and HP, and I wanted to use one for the intro. I've combed through my books and the internet and have yet to find one that really works, which is strange because there are SO many. Any ideas would be much appreciated!

-Lauren
 
Purple Stickpin

Purple Stickpin

Well, there's Horsemeat, which contains 20 poems which form the narrative of more of a short story than anything else. Beyond that, one of my favorite track poems is one about Buk observing a family of obese dim-wits, slurping beer, carrying on and stuffing their faces with track junk food. It's extremely funny but, of course, I can't remember the name of it or which collection it's in.
 
Mark73

Mark73

The one that works the best for you should work for your book. The one you like best; if you're confused about a favorite, make copies of all, lay them onto the ground and throw a coin into the air. Where it lands is the chosen one.
 
LickTheStar

LickTheStar

Sad Flower in the Sand
There's a bunch of 'em in War All The Time, but I'll be diggered if I can remember which ones right now...
 
Billville

Billville

I forget what poem/short story it was, but there's a good one about Buk going into the bathroom at the track and seeing some guy standing at the urinal eating a sandwich. I think the last line was something like:"Yup, you see all kinds at the track," or something like that.
 
Purple Stickpin

Purple Stickpin

That's from poem X of XX from Horsemeat, which is in War All The Time, to tie the last few posts together. The last line is:

I keep telling people that there are
more things to the racetrack than
horses.
 
number6horse

number6horse

okyoutwopixiesoutyougo
"No. 6" is a great poem that works like a snapshot of a particular moment at the track.

It appears in Burning In Water, Drowning In Flame.
 
bospress.net

bospress.net

www.bospress.net
Ponder said:
Do you have permission to print a Buk poem in your book?
Click to expand...

If it is a one-off for a school project, then it would be okay without permission, I suppose. If there are more than one copy, it could be a problem if you do not get permission.

Bill
 
H

Hindinwood

Oooo, I like that last line! Guess I'll try and find and that poem - thanks for the suggestions, keep 'em coming if anyone has anymore...

No I don't have permission, it's a school project.
 
roni

roni

some of my favorite track-parts aren't poems but excerpts from prose, like several passages in 'Post Office' or 'Factotum' or the 'Notes' that start with "Santa Anita, March 22, 1968, 3:10 p.m."

Maybe consider parts from those?
 
Purple Stickpin

Purple Stickpin

That's a good bit of why Factotum is my favorite of the novels.

Does anyone have any idea which poem I was referring to above: "Buk observing a family of obese dim-wits, slurping beer, carrying on and stuffing their faces with track junk food"?
 
S

Stavrogin

roni said:
some of my favorite track-parts aren't poems but excerpts from prose, like several passages in 'Post Office' or 'Factotum' or the 'Notes' that start with "Santa Anita, March 22, 1968, 3:10 p.m."
Click to expand...

Yes, same here. The Manny episode is a top classic and shorts like Pittsburgh Phil & Co are a kick. Some of Buk's track stories are as dry as algebra to me, though, having never horse bet nor even visited a track.
 
Purple Stickpin

Purple Stickpin

Thanks one more time, Hank! I knew in the back of my mind somewhere that the title had nothing to do with the track. Despite this, I scoured Table of Contents after Table of Contents Thursday night to no avail, and I thumbed through about 7 or 8 volumes looking for it. It's times like this that it really hits you just how many damn poems that good old sonofabitch wrote.
 
Rekrab

Rekrab

Usually wrong.
bospress.net said:
If it is a one-off for a school project, then it would be okay without permission, I suppose. If there are more than one copy, it could be a problem if you do not get permission.
Click to expand...
A one-off for school would probably be allowable under the "fair use" provision, being for educational purposes. I'm no lawyer but that seems consistent with what I've read on copyright law.
 
Lolita Twist

Lolita Twist

Rose-hustler
Buk: So why don't you get one that likes to drink, gamble, and fuck?
Manny: Who in the world would want a woman like that?

^ Factotum, on their way to SA, I think? As people have been saying, there are numerous passages from Buk's prose that would seem to fit your project perfectly. And many Monforte pictures if I do say so myself... there's a few good horse tales in Tales of Ordinary Madness, one in particular that describes in vivid detail Buk's handicapping system (which was hyperbolized to fuck and hysterically funny, I thought). And there may even be a couple in The Most Beautiful Woman in Town.
 
roni

roni

I also like it, when he explains one of his 'new systems'. I dunno shit about horseracing, but it sounds so professional and I like when people know what they're doing.

And sometimes you can take his general tips for the track, abstract from them and then use them at the stock-market.
 
Black Swan

Black Swan

Abord the Yorikke!
there is a good poem titled The Horse Player, which appears in "Sifting Through the Madness", page 348. You may like that one, it is very descriptive.

I've been watching them for decades.
The jocks change but the horses
look about the same...
 
gregormilligan

gregormilligan

roni said:
some of my favorite track-parts aren't poems but excerpts from prose, like several passages in 'Post Office' or 'Factotum' or the 'Notes' that start with "Santa Anita, March 22, 1968, 3:10 p.m."

Maybe consider parts from those?
Click to expand...

I'm going to second the recommendation for Santa Anita, March 22. It's a great passage.

Otherwise, I'm terrible with names of poems etc.
 
H

Hindinwood

By the way, thanks everyone for your suggestions! I ended up going with "No. 6" - a classic. And Lolita, why ask Google when you can ask human beings?
 
number6horse

number6horse

okyoutwopixiesoutyougo
Excellent choice ;)

And I think I speak for more than a few members here
when I ask you to post a few pics/pages from the project ?

Or at least PM a link on request ?
 
zenguru

zenguru

I don't recall the name of the poem, but there's one he reads in Born Into This that always makes me roll. It's about him taking a beershit at the track when last call for bets comes over the intercom. I always remember his description: "hot, sticky, and glorious."
 
Bukfan

Bukfan

"The law is wrong; I am right"
Yes, "Hot, stinking, and glorious". I believe it's called, "The 9 Horse". It's on the "Hostage" CD, and on "The Last Straw" DVD.
 
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