Charles Bukowski poem and story database

What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk Through The Fire

Published in 1999 by Black Sparrow Press

My Father And The Bum - pg. 17 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1975
Legs, Hips And Behind - pg. 18
Igloo - pg. 20 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978
The Mice - pg. 22 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994
My Garden - pg. 24 - circa 1972
Legs And White Thighs - pg. 25 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1975
Mademoiselle From Armentieres - pg. 26
My Father's Big-Time Fling - pg. 29
The Bakers Of 1935 - pg. 31
The People - pg. 35 - circa 1966
The Pretty Girl Who Rented Rooms - pg. 36 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1977
Too Soon - pg. 38
Canned Heat? - pg. 40
Pershing Square, Los Angeles, 1939 - pg. 43 - circa 1992
Scene From 1940 - pg. 46 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994
My Big Moment - pg. 47 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978
Daylight Saving Time - pg. 50 - manuscript - 1972
The Railroad Yard - pg. 51 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978
Horseshit - pg. 52
Man's Best Friend - pg. 54 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994 - circa 1992
The Sensitive, Young Poet - pg. 56
Hunger - pg. 58 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994
The First One - pg. 61 - 1973
The Night I Saw George Raft In Vegas - pg. 63
No Title - pg. 65
Too Many Blacks - pg. 66
White Dog - pg. 68 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1977
Blue Beads And Bones - pg. 69 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1968-1970
Ax And Blade - pg. 71
Some Notes On Bach And Hayden - pg. 73
Born To Lose - pg. 76 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1972
Phillipe's 1950 - pg. 78
In The Lobby - pg. 79
He Knows Us All - pg. 81
Victory - pg. 82 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1975-1978
More Argument - pg. 84
Wind The Clock - pg. 87 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994
What? - pg. 88
She Comes From Somewhere - pg. 89 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1974
Lifedance - pg. 90 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1970
The Bells - pg. 91 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1972
Full Moon - pg. 93 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1975
Everywhere, Everywhere - pg. 94
About A Trip To Spain - pg. 95 - 1977
Van Gogh - pg. 96 - 1976
Vallejo - pg. 98 - 1974
When The Violets Roar At The Sun - pg. 99 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1971
The Professionals - pg. 100 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978
The 8 Count Concerto - pg. 102 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994
An Afternoon In February - pg. 104 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1974
Crickets - pg. 106 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1972
The Angel Who Pushed His Wheelchair - pg. 108 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1972
The Circus Of Death - pg. 111 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1992 - circa 1992
The Man? - pg. 114
Christmas Poem To A Man In Jail - pg. 115
Snake Eyes? - pg. 119 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994 - circa 1991-1994
My Friends Down At The Corner - pg. 121
Smiling, Shining, Singing - pg. 122 - 1972
Bruckner - pg. 124
This Moment - pg. 126
One More Good One - pg. 127
Introduction to chapter 2 - pg. 131 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1976
You Do It While You're Killing Flies - pg. 133 - circa 1973
12 Hour Night - pg. 134
Plants Which Easily Winter Kills - pg. 137
The Last Poetry Reading - pg. 139
Probably So - pg. 143 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1972
Assault - pg. 144 - circa 1972
Raw With Love - pg. 148 - 1974
Wide And Moving - pg. 150 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1972
Demise - pg. 151 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1973
The Pact - pg. 153 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1975
75 Million Dollars - pg. 155
Butterflies - pg. 157 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1974
4 Christs - pg. 159 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978
$180 Gone - pg. 162
The Blue Head Of Death - pg. 164 - circa 1974
Young Men - pg. 166
The Meaning Of It All - pg. 167 - 1975
Guess Who? - pg. 169 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1975
I Want A Mermaid - pg. 170 - circa 1975
An Unusual Place - pg. 172 - 1975
In This City Now - pg. 174 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1975
Captain Goodwine - pg. 177 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1975
Morning Love - pg. 180 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1977
An Old Jockey - pg. 182 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1977
Hard Times On Carlton Way - pg. 184 - 1977
We Needed Him - pg. 186 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978
Nana - pg. 188 - 1977
Poor Mimi - pg. 189 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1972
A Boy And His Dog - pg. 192 - 1977
The Dangerous Ladies - pg. 194 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1977
Sloppy Love - pg. 196 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1974
Winter: 44th Year - pg. 203
Hollywood Ranch Market - pg. 204 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978
Rape - pg. 207 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978
Gone Away - pg. 211 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978
Note Left On The Dresser By A Lady Friend - pg. 213 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1977
Legs - pg. 215 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978
The Artist - pg. 217 - circa 1973
Revolt In The Ranks - pg. 219 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1991 - circa 1991
Life Of The King - pg. 221
The Silver Mirror - pg. 223 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1975
Hunchback - pg. 225 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1976
Me And Capote - pg. 227
The Savior: 1970 - pg. 230
La Femme Finie - pg. 233 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1972
Beast - pg. 234
Artistic Selfishness - pg. 236 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1972
My Literary Fly - pg. 237 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1971
Memory - pg. 239
Carlton Way Off Western Ave. - pg. 241 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1976
At The Zoo - pg. 243 - circa 1973
Coke Blues - pg. 244 - 1976
Nobody Home - pg. 245
Woman In The Supermarket - pg. 247 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1973
Fast Track - pg. 249 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1972
Hanging There On The Wall - pg. 251 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994 - circa 1991-1992
The Hookers, The Madmen And The Doomed - pg. 253
Looking For Jack - pg. 255 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1968-1970
Apprentices - pg. 257 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1974
38,000 To One - pg. 259 - 1974
A Touch Of Steel - pg. 261 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1976
Brown And Solemn - pg. 263
Time - pg. 264 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1976
Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen - pg. 266 - circa 1967
The Way It Works - pg. 268
Bright Lights And Serpents - pg. 270 - 1975
Mean And Stingy - pg. 272 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1975
$100 - pg. 274 - 1974
This Particular War - pg. 276 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1976
German Bar - pg. 277
Floor Job - pg. 278 - 1976
The Icecream People - pg. 280 - circa 1973
Like A Cherry Seed In The Throat - pg. 282 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1975
The Ordinary Cafe Of The World - pg. 285 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1972
On Shaving - pg. 287
School Days - pg. 291 - 1973
Neither A Borrower Nor A Lender Be - pg. 293
Sometimes Even Putting A Nickel Into A Parking Meter Feels Good - pg. 297 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1975
Mahler - pg. 299
Fellow Countryman - pg. 300
The Young Man On The Bus Stop Bench - pg. 303 - 1977
Computer Class - pg. 305 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1991
Image - pg. 309
The Crunch (2) - pg. 312
I'll Send You A Postcard - pg. 315 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1975
Bravo! - pg. 316 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1977
Downtown - pg. 318 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1977
The Blue Pigeon - pg. 320 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1975
Combat Primer - pg. 321 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978
Thanks For That - pg. 323
They Arrived In Time - pg. 324
Odd - pg. 326 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994
An Interlude - pg. 328
Anonymity - pg. 330 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978 - circa 1978
What's It All Mean? - pg. 332 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978
One-To-Five - pg. 333
Insanity - pg. 337 - 1978
Farewell My Lovely - pg. 339
Comments On My Last Book Of Poesy - pg. 341 - circa 1989
A Correction To A Lady Of Posey - pg. 343
Beethoven Conducted His Last Symphony While Totally Deaf - pg. 346
On The Sidewalk And In The Sun - pg. 348 - 1972
What Do They Want? - pg. 350
I Hear All The Latest Hit Tunes - pg. 352
Am I The Only One Who Suffers Thus? - pg. 354
On Lighting A Cigar - pg. 358
The Cigarette Of The Sun - pg. 361 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1992
To Lean Back Into It - pg. 363
Dog Fight 1990 - pg. 365 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1980
I Used To Feel Sorry For Henry Miller - pg. 367 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994 - circa 1992
Locked In - pg. 369
Wasted - pg. 372
Sunday Lunch At The Holy Mission - pg. 374
Slaughter - pg. 375
A Vote For The Gentle Light - pg. 377 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994
Be Alone - pg. 379 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1976
I Inherit - pg. 381 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994 - circa 1992
Another Day - pg. 384
Tabby Cat - pg. 386 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1976
The Gamblers - pg. 388 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1979
The Crowd - pg. 389 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1991
Trouble In The Night - pg. 391
3 Old Men At Separate Tables - pg. 393 - circa 1994
The Singer - pg. 395 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1976
Stuck With It - pg. 397 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994 - circa 1993
Action On The Corner - pg. 400 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1978
No Guru - pg. 402 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1974
In This Cage Some Songs Are Born - pg. 404
My Movie - pg. 405 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - 1979
A New War - pg. 407 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994 - circa 1993
Roll The Dice - pg. 408 - manuscript (differs from Black Sparrow book version) - circa 1991-1994