defining the magic

a good poem is like a cold beer

when you need it,

a good poem is a hot turkey

sandwich when you’re

hungry,

a good poem is a gun when

the mob corners you,

a good poem is something that

allows you to walk through the streets of

death,

a good poem can make death melt like

hot butter,

a good poem can frame agony and

hang it on a wall,

a good poem can let your feet touch

China,

a good poem can make a broken mind

fly,

a good poem can let you shake hands

with Mozart,

a good poem can let you shoot craps

with the devil

and win,

a good poem can do almost anything,

and most important

a good poem knows when to

stop.

Charles Bukowski