Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit

“The Walt Whitman of Los Angeles.”—Joyce Carol Oates, bestselling author

“He brought everybody down to earth, even the angels.”—Leonard Cohen, songwriter

Play the Piano introduces Charles Bukowski's poetry from the 1970s. He leads a life full of gambling and booze but also finds love. These poems are full of lechery and romance as he struggles to mature.

No apologies. No punches pulled.

• Confessional Poetry: Unflinching poems that stare into the mirror at a life of cheap rooms, hard drinking, ...