Good morning Quote by Charles Bukowski
““And when you write a poem within the accepted poem-form, making it sound like a poem because a poem is a poem is a poem, you are saying “good morning” in that poem, and well, your morals are straight and you have not said SHIT, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could…instead of sweating out the correct image, the precise phrase, the turn of a thought…simply sit down and write the god damned thing, throwing on the color and sound, shaking us alive with the force, the blackbirds, the wheat fields, the ear in the hand of the whore, sun, sun, sun, SUN!; let’s make poetry the way we make love; let’s make poetry and leave the laws and the rules and the morals to the churches and the politicians; let’s make poetry the way we tilt the head back for the good liquor; let a drunken bum make his flame, and some day, Robert, I’ll think of you, pretty and difficult, measuring vowels and adverbs, making rules instead of poetry.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: 1995 interview with Charles Bukowski, published in "The Poetry of Charles Bukowski"
The quote critiques rigid poetic forms and urges spontaneous, visceral creation free from moral or institutional constraints.
In simple terms: Poetry should be raw, free, and instinctive, not bound by rules.
Key Takeaway
Embrace unfiltered expression in writing.
Themes
creativity
rebellion
artistic freedom
authenticity
expression
Mood
defiant
passionate
provocative
Type
manifesto
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- personal journaling
- experimental poetry performances
- literary criticism
- teaching creative writing
Key Concepts
existentialism
postmodernism
literary rebellion
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you balance spontaneity with clarity?
- What rules, if any, serve your artistic purpose?
A Different Perspective
The desire for structure can still guide coherence and audience comprehension.
