Charles Bukwoski (1920-1994) is perhaps best known for his literary alter-ego, Hank Chinaski. Like Bukowksi, Chinaski lives in the slums of L.A. and struggles to maintain a job. Misanthropic, cynical and incapable of reconciling himself with the world around him, he considers himself mad. He also believes he is a great artist, but his ambitions are compromised by unstable women, binge hangovers, bar fights and general bad luck. Despite being snubbed by critics and scholars, Bukowski’s unabashed self-portrait, combined with his simple and straightforward approach to writing, has earned him a cult following.

Bluebird

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he’s
in there.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my booksales in
Europe?
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he’s singing a little
in there, I haven’t quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?

Check out this excellent recitation by actor Harry Dean Stanton

Paralipsis

Paralipsis is a rhetorical device by which a writer emphasizes or draws attention to something by either denying it or refusing to talk about it.

Throughout this poem, the speaker suggests that he’s a tough guy: he drinks and smokes, he doesn’t weep and he doesn’t like the idea that this bluebird could “mess me up.” The bluebird, then, becomes a symbol for the speaker’s inner sensitivity, which he conceals with a tough exterior. The speaker insists he’s “too tough” to reveal that he has a bluebird in his heart and is very careful about not letting people see it. However, the more the speaker denies and conceals the bluebird, the more he ultimately talks about it and reveals it to the reader. Also, notice how toward the end of the poem the speaker seems on the brink of actually revealing his secret: “and it’s nice enough to make a man weep.” Only, he backs out of the confession at the last second: “but I don’t weep, do you?” This adds a final punch to the paralipsis element of the poem since it continues to play with revelation and concealment.

Challenge Prompt

Write a poem that employs paralipsis. Notice how Bukowski repeats, “there’s a blue bird in my heart but I’m too tough for him.” Repetition of a denial or a concealment is common in poems that use paralipsis. Yours might be something along the lines of “I’m not talking about …” or “I refuse to tell the world that…” As you deny or conceal what you’re talking about, be sure to go into detail about it so that you’re slowly revealing it as well.

Tip: as you write this, pretend you’re in a room by yourself, talking to yourself.