Ode To the Madman

Ode to the Madman It was heaven in hell, both. It was 115 degrees and I was in hell. But heaven was in sweltering Palm Springs. And I tasted nectar and ambrosia, both, Under the dauntless palms. I took in the majesty of the gods As they bowed to each other, Like kow-towing Chinamen in white robes. I took in the flames and the feathers, both. I took in the shadows and the spotlights of the stabbing sun. The book was Women by Bukowski. I lounged by the winking, blue-eyed pool, Eyeing the half-naked women in bikinis, Reading the drunken madman, Sipping daiquiris on ice Brought to me by the big-breasted beautiful girl From behind the bar. The way she walked as she brought me my drinks, Was a Revelation and a turn-on, both. It seemed, as I discerned from her big-breasted body language, That she already knew the answers to life’s unasked questions. That she had already traveled To the farthest star in the galaxy. That she had already tasted the wine of eternal wisdom. Yes, it was the way she walked. Bukowski would’ve smiled and said: “Comon honey, let’s dance!” I was in heaven and in hell, both. It was 115 degrees, and I sweated. But I saw paradise under the dauntless palms. Ode to the madman! “I sip this daiquiri in your name.” Brought to me by the big-breasted beautiful girl From behind the bar.