The Last Laugh

With regards to Charles Bukowski's poem titled Rain. Let him rest in peace.

The last laugh

Is every second you choke on with no lungs

No breath

I am here, beaten, shrivelled under the vermillion stars

The lingering wings of a death-bringer sing

You are behind the bars I wrote you in

A beast in a cage

A sad man’s parade at the zoo

I am here, a spectator for your lost ends

Where you found nothing at the stage of your freakshow

The thing that keeps you up at night is free

For every eighth beat between your restless sonata

Where music is the nightmare of newspapermen who beckon death fire free for the audience

I am the folded wings you never take out to pick the ticks from between the feathers

Airborne in silence, swimming in pools of regret, shackled to your music

I am you, but every moment that you never deserved has passed you by

The last laugh

Is a life like mine

Is every whimper of the dogs who eat scrap metal hearts

None wept for the thunderclouds

I am here like a childhood friend who sleeps in the gutters, drunk on memory lane

I am a lullaby for those who sleep

Smiling here the worldly reaper

I am the sound of madness, but not the speaker

The last laugh came a long time ago

I haven’t cried in years

I sit out in the rain, like the man that friend of Charles Bukowski’s saw alone shackled in sanity’s chains

I came to hear the music

What can I say? Silence has already told my story

Would I tell you it?

No

There would be no end to the boundless laughter you buried in me

I am here, faded, crumpled, dusty, yellowed, trash

Let that be the last laugh

Wagner plays on

Wet cigarettes are being thrown away

Catch my second-hand smoke

Follow your own damn breadcrumbs

Brand another lost soul your satan

The last laugh came to hear the music, too

Sounds like Spring

I am here, soon I’ll be gone

And then I’ll finally have

Your last laugh all to myself

Author's Note

I promise I read every single review, and I generally will reply to them. I look forward to my next review, because it helps me learn. Even if it's just one word, I promise, I will be happy to hear anything you feel needs sharing. Whenever you write on my shortcomings or breakthroughs, or the themes of my poems, or share ideas and friendly criticism, it decides my next poem to an extent. I will listen, learn and be thankful. And 99% of the time, you'll get a reply unless you're trolling me.

Reviews

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Jack I'm really scared of this piece. Although you said, I haven't been able to convince myself yet...
it's just for the poem "Rain" is it or is it not? You should know how powerful your verses are, I'll be a cotton ball in front of this one. For the poem if this "you" was me... it'd have torn me apart. Please be kind Jack! This no less than an excellent piece, now strangely the situation makes me relate to this more than you can imagine. I was difficult for me to take it.

Keep writing!
Good Luck!

[R.J Calzonetti (SinisterPotatoe)]

The "you" in this poem is up to the reader. I deliberately made the "you" unclear, however, I never wrote the you to be one particular person, so you have no need to worry.

[Pete]

how fitting the man. clearly one of my favorites. i really like the disturbed imagery in this one. it's like accepting and reveling in insanity. so many memorable lines - too many to mention.

The last laugh
Is every second you choke on with no lungs

Wet cigarettes are being thrown away
Catch my second-hand smoke
Follow your own damn breadcrumbs
Brand another lost soul your satan
The last laugh came to hear the music, too
Sounds like Spring
I am here, soon I’ll be gone
And then I’ll finally have
Your last laugh all to myself

[R.J Calzonetti (SinisterPotatoe)]

Glad it was an enjoyable read, I'm happy the poem sounded the way it was intended to.