I Met a Genius

I Met a Genius - context Summary

Everyday Encounter on a Train

Placed in the collection You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense, this brief poem recounts Bukowski’s encounter with a six-year-old on a coastal train. The child’s blunt verdict—not pretty—about the ocean triggers the speaker’s first recognition of that perspective. The poem reflects Bukowski’s habit of finding sharp, unromantic truths in ordinary moments. A simple anecdote becomes an epiphany that undercuts expected beauty and prompts a reconsideration of how commonplace scenes are perceived.