Finished?
Finished? - meaning Summary
Refusing Premature Obituary
Bukowski confronts critics who claim his supposed success has softened him and ended his gritty voice. He sarcastically lists imagined luxuries, then insists identity lies in the work, not rumor. The speaker rejects the idea that fame equals artistic death, asks readers to judge only the poems as they arrive, and vows to continue writing without surrendering to complacency or premature retirement.
Read Complete AnalysesThe critics now have me drinking champagne and driving a BMW and also married to a socialite from Philadelphia's Main Line which of course is going to prevent me from writing my earthy and grubby stuff. And they might be right, I could be getting to be more like them, and that's as close to death as you can get. We'll see. But don't bury me yet. Don't worry if I drink with Sean Penn. Just measure the poems as they come off the keyboard. Listen only to them. After this long fight I have no intention of quitting short. Or late. Or satisfied.
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