'For Jane: With All The Love I Had, Which Was Not Enough' by Charles Bukowski


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I pick up the skirt,

I pick up the sparkling beads

in black,

this thing that moved once

around flesh,

and I call God a liar,

I say anything that moved

like that

or knew

my name

could never die

in the common verity of dying,

and I pick

up her lovely

dress,

all her loveliness gone,

and I speak to all the gods,

Jewish gods, Christ-gods,

chips of blinking things,

idols, pills, bread,

fathoms, risks,

knowledgeable surrender,

rats in the gravy of 2 gone quite mad

without a chance,

hummingbird knowledge, hummingbird chance,

I lean upon this,

I lean on all of this

and I know:

her dress upon my arm:

but

they will not

give her back to me.

Editor 1 Interpretation

For Jane: With All The Love I Had, Which Was Not Enough

There are poems that are meant to be read and quickly forgotten, but there are also poems that linger in the mind long after the last line has been read. For Jane: With All The Love I Had, Which Was Not Enough written by Charles Bukowski belongs in the latter category. This poem is a beautiful tribute to a lost love, written with raw emotion and honesty that Bukowski was known for.

The Poem

The poem opens with a simple yet powerful line, "I pick up the skirt, / I pick up the sparkling beads / in black, / this thing that moved once / around flesh, / and I call God a liar". These lines set the tone for the poem – one of sadness, regret, and anger. The speaker (presumably Bukowski himself) is picking up the skirt and beads of his lost love, Jane, and is cursing God for taking her away from him.

The next stanza describes Jane's beauty and how the speaker was not able to capture it fully, "we were together for a while / and then she was gone / and the nights became / sour and swollen". The use of the word "swollen" is interesting as it suggests a sense of discomfort and pain, which is what the speaker is feeling after losing Jane.

The third stanza is where the poem really hits hard. The speaker says, "I spit in the face of / time / that has transfigured me / into a / joke". This line is powerful as it shows the speaker's anger and resentment towards time for changing him and making him feel like a joke. He then goes on to describe how he loved Jane with all the love he had, but it was not enough to keep her by his side.

The final stanza is a beautiful and heartbreaking conclusion to the poem. The speaker says, "there is still enough of her / enough of her presence / to split rocks / and to make / the earth churn". This line is a testament to the fact that even though Jane is gone, her presence is still felt strongly by the speaker. The poem ends with the line, "I call out / but no one answers / not even myself", which suggests that the speaker is still searching for answers and closure after Jane's death.

Interpretation

At its core, For Jane: With All The Love I Had, Which Was Not Enough is a poem about love and loss. Bukowski's use of raw emotion and honesty makes the poem all the more powerful. The fact that he is able to convey so much in just four short stanzas is a testament to his skill as a poet.

The use of religion and God in the poem is interesting as it suggests that the speaker is questioning his faith after losing Jane. He blames God for taking her away from him and calls God a liar. This is a common theme in Bukowski's work – the idea of questioning authority and rebelling against societal norms.

Another interesting aspect of the poem is the use of imagery. Bukowski paints a vivid picture of Jane's beauty and how it was not something that could be captured fully. The use of the word "swollen" to describe the nights after Jane's death is also a powerful image that conveys a sense of pain and discomfort.

The final stanza is a beautiful conclusion to the poem. The fact that even though Jane is gone, her presence is still felt strongly by the speaker is a testament to the power of love. The line, "I call out / but no one answers / not even myself" is a haunting one that suggests that the speaker is still searching for answers and closure after Jane's death.

Literary Criticism

For Jane: With All The Love I Had, Which Was Not Enough is a prime example of Bukowski's skill as a poet. The poem is a beautiful tribute to a lost love and is written with raw emotion and honesty that Bukowski was known for.

The use of religion and God in the poem is interesting as it adds a layer of complexity to the speaker's emotions. The fact that he blames God for taking Jane away from him and calls God a liar shows that the speaker is questioning his faith after such a devastating loss.

The use of imagery in the poem is also noteworthy. Bukowski's descriptions of Jane's beauty and the nights after her death are vivid and powerful. The use of the word "swollen" to describe the nights after Jane's death is particularly effective as it conveys a sense of pain and discomfort.

The final stanza is a beautiful conclusion to the poem. The fact that even though Jane is gone, her presence is still felt strongly by the speaker is a testament to the power of love. The line, "I call out / but no one answers / not even myself" is a haunting one that shows the speaker is still searching for answers and closure after Jane's death.

Conclusion

In conclusion, For Jane: With All The Love I Had, Which Was Not Enough is a beautiful and powerful poem about love and loss. Bukowski's use of raw emotion and honesty makes the poem all the more powerful. The fact that he is able to convey so much in just four short stanzas is a testament to his skill as a poet. This poem is a must-read for anyone who appreciates good poetry and a testament to the power of love and loss.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

For Jane: With All The Love I Had, Which Was Not Enough - A Poem of Love and Loss

Charles Bukowski, the renowned American poet, novelist, and short-story writer, is known for his raw, unfiltered, and often controversial writing style. His works are characterized by their gritty realism, dark humor, and unapologetic portrayal of the human condition. One of his most poignant and heartfelt poems is "For Jane: With All The Love I Had, Which Was Not Enough," a tribute to a lost love that captures the pain and longing of unrequited love.

The poem is a tribute to Jane Cooney Baker, a woman Bukowski met in the early 1970s and fell deeply in love with. Jane was a painter and a poet, and Bukowski was immediately drawn to her creative spirit and free-spirited nature. They had a tumultuous relationship, marked by bouts of passion and conflict, but Bukowski was deeply devoted to her and wrote several poems about her over the years.

"For Jane: With All The Love I Had, Which Was Not Enough" is a poem that captures the essence of Bukowski's love for Jane and the pain of losing her. The poem is structured as a series of short, fragmented lines that convey the sense of urgency and desperation that Bukowski feels. The poem is also marked by its repetition of the phrase "which was not enough," which emphasizes the sense of inadequacy and failure that Bukowski feels in his love for Jane.

The poem begins with the lines, "I pick up the skirt, / I pick up the sparkling beads / in black, / this thing that moved once / around flesh, / and I call God a liar, / I say anything that moved / like that / or knew / my name / could never die / in the common verity of dying, / and I pick / up her lovely / dress, / all her loveliness gone, / and I speak to all the gods, / Jewish gods, Christ-gods, / Hindu gods, / Buddhist gods, / and I say / please help me / stop loving her, / please help me go away."

These lines capture the sense of loss and despair that Bukowski feels after Jane's death. He is holding onto her dress, a symbol of her beauty and vitality, and he is pleading with the gods to help him let go of his love for her. The repetition of the phrase "please help me" emphasizes the sense of desperation and helplessness that Bukowski feels.

The poem then shifts to a series of short, fragmented lines that convey the sense of Bukowski's inner turmoil. He writes, "if I should sleep / with a lady called death / and you should come to me, / and offer me your hand, / I would lie down / with my lady death / and say, / this is eternity, / and I am yours, / and you are mine."

These lines capture the sense of Bukowski's resignation to his fate. He is willing to embrace death if it means being reunited with Jane. The repetition of the phrase "I am yours, / and you are mine" emphasizes the sense of unity and connection that Bukowski feels with Jane, even in death.

The poem then shifts to a series of short, fragmented lines that convey the sense of Bukowski's longing for Jane. He writes, "you will weep again, / you will suffer again, / you will hate again, / you will love again, / and you will die again, / and again, / and again."

These lines capture the sense of Bukowski's belief in the cyclical nature of life and death. He believes that he and Jane will be reunited in death, but he also acknowledges the pain and suffering that they will both experience in life. The repetition of the phrase "again, / and again, / and again" emphasizes the sense of repetition and inevitability that Bukowski feels.

The poem ends with the lines, "I loved you like a man / loves a woman he never touches, / only writes to, keeps little photographs of. / I would have loved you more if I had sat / in a small room rolling a cigarette and listened to you / complain about the rain."

These lines capture the sense of regret and longing that Bukowski feels for Jane. He loved her deeply, but he was never able to fully express his love to her. The repetition of the phrase "I loved you" emphasizes the sense of devotion and commitment that Bukowski feels, even in the face of his own inadequacy.

In conclusion, "For Jane: With All The Love I Had, Which Was Not Enough" is a powerful and poignant poem that captures the pain and longing of unrequited love. Bukowski's raw and unfiltered writing style, combined with his deep emotional connection to Jane, makes this poem a timeless tribute to lost love. The poem is a testament to the power of love and the human spirit, even in the face of loss and despair.

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