Includes: “happy birthday” [1989]; published in “Northwest Review” #15; Wagner, Bukowski’s favorite classical composer heard music at a birthday party for him and when told it is his cleverly says”death then does have its virtues; photocopy of a typed poem, unsigned. * “the rape of the Holy Mother” 2 pp. [c.1987]; published in magazine “Off My Face” (1987); “Septuagenarian Stew” – p.230 (1990); if any poem captures the manifesto of the Guerilla Poetics Project (GPP) of today, this is it: “they are offended by the ... antics of the maddened, they prefer their poesy to be secretive, soft and nearly indecipherable… the Academics have much to fear… there are other voices and we intend to be heard… let it be known that we have arrived and intend to stay”; photocopy of a typed poem, unsigned, with 1 ink ms. correction by Bukowski and 1 red pencil correction by editor John Martin. * “the good old machine” 2 pp., undated; published in “Septuagenarian Stew” – p.251 (1990); significant due to its tracing of a significant period in Bukowski’s history, the story of how John Martin rescued Bukowski from relative anonymity writing for little mags and working at the Post Office by offering him a guaranteed monthly amount for life if he concentrated on just writing poems. This venture changed Bukowski’s writing found in sloppy mimeo mags to the highly crafted Black Sparrow books, often with art, and the beginning of a lifetime friendship; photocopy of a typed poem, unsigned, with 10 ink ms. corrections by Bukowski. * “this most delicate profession” 2 pp., undated; published in “Septuagenarian Stew” – p.232 (1990) and in broadside form; the story of Bukowski’s and every writer’s life when there are no more words left, but the wisdom of Bukowski knows “I musn’t press… overachivement is the motherfucker…”; photocopy of a typed poem, unsigned, with 8 ink ms. corrections by Bukowski. * “the nurses” undated; published in “Septuagenarian Stew” - p.348 (1990); “The Pleasures of the Damned” - p.531 (2007); a description of the heavy nurses at the hospital he goes to; photocopy of a typed poem, unsigned, with 11 ink ms. corrections by Bukowski. * “cause and effect” undated; published in “Septuagenarian Stew” – p.205 (1990); a funny poem as only Buk can tell it about suicide; photocopy of a typed poem, unsigned, with 3 ink ms. corrections by Bukowski. * “an angel and an asshole” undated; published in “Septuagenarian Stew” - p.154 (1990); a poem about two characters at the track; photocopy of a typed poem, unsigned, with 7 ink ms. corrections by Bukowski. * “it’s funny, isn’t it?” undated; published in “Septuagenarian Stew” – p.309 (1990); the master questions who are these people inside the glass called television because they are not his kind of people; photocopy of a typed poem, unsigned, with 11 ink ms. corrections by Bukowski. Together, 8 manuscript poems by Charles Bukowski.
Bukowski's habit was to make photocopies of his poems for submission, sign and date them, and send them off. These he did not sign or date, but all but the first have ink corrections by him, and the are the publisher's file copies. The first was sent to Dennis P. Eichhorn, publisher of Northwest, and has a letter of authenticity of Eichhorn. The others were sent to John Martin of the Black Sparrow Press. Three of these with letters of authenticity from Scott Harrison at Abandoned Planet Bookstore.