A fourth installment of a five-part collection of previously unpublished poetic works by the influential contemporary American author of Pulp and Women offers insight into his views on mentoring, mortality, and the passage of time. Reprint. 20,000 first printing another comeback climbing back up out of the ooze, out of the thick black tar, rising up again, a modern Lazarus. you're amazed at your good fortune. somehow you've had more than your share of second chances. hell, accept it. what you have, you have. you walk and look in the bathroom mirror at an idiot's smile. you know your luck. some go down and never climb back up. something is being kind to you. you turn from the mirror and walk into the world. you find a chair, sit down, light a cigar. back from a thousand wars you look out from an open door into the silent night. Sibelius plays on the radio. nothing has been lost or destroyed. you blow smoke into the night, tug at your right ear. baby, right now, you've got it all. I live near the slaughterhouse and am ill with thriving. come on in! 3 nothing but a scarf 4 literary chitchat 9 this machine is a fountain 11 200 years 12 residue 16 Coronado Street: 1954 19 a vision 20 cut-rate drugstore: 4:30 p.m. 22 you can't tell a turkey by its feathers 24 too early! 26 the green Cadillac 28 I'm not all-knowing but... 31 in the clubhouse 34 a famished orphan sits somewhere in the mind 35 form letter 36 first family 38 a real thing, a good woman 40 a child's bedtime story 42 working out in Hades 43 half-a-goldfish 45 lousy mail 47 from the Dept. of English 48 and poems have too 49 poets to the rescue 50 red hot mail 53 some personal thoughts 57 he's a dog 58 tremor 61 my Mexican buddy 63 strangers at the racetrack 65 will you tiptoe through the tulips with me? 67 the novel life 70 thanks for your help 72 I have continued regardless 74 balloons 77 moving toward the dark 79 the real thing 81 she looked at me and asked, did you? did you? did you? on the cuff 85 alone again 89 fooling Marie (the poem) 91 the copulation blues 94 the faithful wife 96 once in a while 102 another high-roller 106 the fucking horses 107 hello there! 110 the fuck-master 111 my personal psychologist 113 jealousy 114 her guy 116 dead poet's wife 117 scrambled legs 119 endless love 121 down and out on the boardwalk 123 sex sister 128 to the ladies no longer here 131 the nude dancer 133 Ma Barker loves me 135 here we go again 139 do you believe that a man can be taught to write? 141 hail and farewell 143 weep 144 it's a lonely world of frightened people. a note upon modern poesy 147 the end of an era 149 Paris in the spring 159 alone in this chair 163 talking about the poets 165 was Li Po wrong? 168 operator 170 a note from Hades in the mailbox 171 on the sunny banks of the university 172 vacation in Greece 174 the spill 176 the last salamander 179 learning the ropes 180 bombed away 181 the swimming pool will be going here 183 a bright boy 185 my turn 192 skinny-dipping 193 a close call 195 like a rock 197 the waitress at the yogurt shop 198 one out in the minor leagues 201 the little girls hissed 206 I dreamt 209 the old couple next door 211 men without women 213 the "Beats" 217 hurry slowly 220 hello and goodbye 222 I will never have a house in the valley with little stone men on the lawn. don't call me, I'll call you 227 taking the 8 count 230 going going gone 232 this is where they come for what's left of your soul 235 hot night 236 the x-bum 238 something cares 240 my cats 242 6:30 a.m. 244 what I need 245 gender benders 246 after many nights 248 good morning, how are you? 250 a reader of my work 251 Sumatra Cum Laude 253 the disease of existence 255 another comeback 257 two nights before my 72nd birthday 258 have we come to this? 260 old poem 262 older 266 closing time 268 no leaders, please 270 everything hurts 271 husk 273 my song 274 cancer 275 blue 276 twilight musings 277 mind and heart 278