the history of melancholia
includes all of us.
me, I writhe in dirty sheets
while staring at blue walls
and nothing.
I have gotten so used to melancholia
that
I greet it like an old
friend.
I will now do 15 minutes of grieving
for the lost redhead,
I tell the gods.
I do it and feel quite bad
quite sad,
then I rise
CLEANSED
even though nothing
is solved.
that’s what I get for kicking
religion in the ass.
I should have kicked the redhead
in the ass
where her brains and her bread and
butter are
at …
but, no, I’ve felt sad
about everything:
the lost redhead was just another
smash in a lifelong
loss …
I listen to drums on the radio now
and grin.
there is something wrong with me
besides
melancholia.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Charles Bukowski's poem Melancholia

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