16-bit Intel 8088 chip by Charles Bukowski
0My ProfileLoginFront PageFamous PoemsAdd PoemContestsGroupsAll GroupsFree Poetry CoursesForums: Poet's • SuggestionsPublish / LearnStoreFollowing & IgnoresRecent ViewsHelpLogoutModerator TicketsPoemsWriteGroupsGroupsFree Poetry CoursesForums: Poet's • SuggestionsContestsPublishStoreLoginModerator TicketsInboxFollowing & IgnoresRecent ViewsSubscription PlanYour Book SalesEdit SettingsDark ModeContact Us + HELPLogout0Charles BukowskiFollow16-bit Intel 8088 chipwith an Apple Macintosh
you can't run Radio Shack programs
in its disc drive.
nor can a Commodore 64
drive read a file
you have created on an
IBM Personal Computer.
both Kaypro and Osborne computers use
the CP/M operating system
but can't read each other's
handwriting
for they format (write
on) discs in different
ways.
the Tandy 2000 runs MS-DOS but
can't use most programs produced for
the IBM Personal Computer
unless certain
bits and bytes are
altered
but the wind still blows over
Savannah
and in the Spring
the turkey buzzard struts and
flounces before his
hens. © by owner. provided at no charge for educational purposesRead more →
Analysis ( hide ) Places tech's petty squabbles next to timeless nature. It pits the frustrating, proprietary world of early personal computing against the unchanging rituals of the natural world, a classic move for this writer who always found the eternal in the gutter.
Form mirrors the fragmented tech landscape. The short, abrupt lines and jarring line breaks feel like a system error or a jammed disk drive, a blunt formal experiment compared to his usually raw but fluid lines about bars and racetracks.
A sneer at capitalist nonsense masked as progress. The whole poem lists incompatible systems, echoing his lifelong disgust with any system - be it jobs, government, or now, consumer tech - designed to trap and frustrate the ordinary person.
The punchline is pure, old-school him. After the tech rant, the switch to the turkey buzzard is classic: a crude, ugly bird performing a mating ritual is the real, unchanging operating system, undercutting all the human silliness that came before.
It reads like a prophecy for today's walled gardens. Written in the early days, it perfectly predicts our modern frustrations with incompatible apps, operating systems, and digital ecosystems, making a 40-year-old poem feel ripped from a current tech forum. (ai)
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EditReport contentIgnore Charles BukowskiAdd to new listPin to profileLogin or register to join the conversationGalaktički VapajMaestro!Read more →
Uncle SpencerThis is a damn masterpiece as far as I'm concerned. Read more →
DualisticAbyssBeautiful

LovelyRead more →
cowpoxReminds me of david foster wallace this poem does.Read more →
John669This guy was definitely an early adopter.  He knew of which he spoke.  He perfectly described the early days of the computer, tech trying this way and that way to be born.  Like humans, tech had (then at least) a hard time interacting with any different tech. Unlike humans, it seems to be getting over it. Meanwhile the world spins on, oblivious to all the human and technological fu*kery.  It is intent on fuc*ery of its own.   

Liked itRead more →
Kenneth The PoetI think he’d love how one corporation cornered the O/S market, but at the same time probably not. A great write from a true master.Read more →
Jessica Anders91perfectly sums of the digital world. this computer needs that. this operating system needs this update. computers are picky motherfuckers. i prefer the notebook most of all. i can't picture bukowski at a computer. you probably preferred your typewriter Read more →
Anorexic AngelI can't imagine Bukowski with technologyRead more →
InactiveThings are less complicated when it comes to Nature.Read more →
Escaped PoetWitty as ever!Read more →
Michael Dennis RiversGreat writer... in the early days of home computing there were several companies vieing for the chance to become number one. There was a need to compete and to make your computer system different from all the others.  In the end, IBM gave Microsoft the software ball for nothing!!!! and lucky Bill Gates became the richest man in America.

This poem by Bukowski evinces his frustration over all the differences and in the end he say it doesn't change much in the real world.

In truth, the ability for people to write with ease was greatly enhanced by the personal computer and millions of poets were born!

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InactiveMy hero.   So blatantly stating technology hasn't travelled as far as we hoped or believe and is unreliable and praise be whatever that nature is reliable and hardly changes.  Beautiful uncomplicated and gives far more than a Mac Pro.  Loving rifling through the mans work.  Read more →
Aydan Lesinai see this as a comparison how alot of things can differ and change, but all beauty is the same.Liked: ateSaketRead more →
Archived CommentsEmerald Dogand Bukowski scratches his balls
but only in our dreams
now.Read more →
InactiveFrom guest Tate (contact)
this man is pure genius. its kinda scary that some people dont get this poem.Read more →
InactiveFrom guest jaime333 (contact)
The turkey buzzard is magnificent in flight.
His hens know this but he just can't help strutting and flouncing and carrying on. Even down here where he looks a damn fool.
Those hens look too good and they do appreciate his efforts.Read more →
more like warThis one just kind of bores me. I like Bukowski's other work much better.Read more →
InactiveHmmm. This poem just goes to show that you CAN write a poem about anything. I wasn't crazy about this one, but will take it in contezt with all of his other poems. Just another dimension to a very interesting poet. Read more →
metrophobiaci barely remember these kind of computers for i was so young...like that buk writes about whatever the hells he wants too...Read more →
eathere now. If only techies would employ a little humor.Read more →
kyewfunny that a lot of the comments left on this piece reflect the message I think buk was trying to get across...

I don't think he was anywhere near insaneRead more →
Kendall CampbellI've only started looking into the works of Bukowski and never thought he'd be a man of electronics. Guess if nothing else, i've learned how to put my foot in my mouth.Read more →
JadenYes, and some of those computers cost $2,000 (yes, the ones with TWO floppy drives!) and now, my god, $500 gets you a system light years ahead of those dinasours. . .nice poem.Read more →
Muted DeliriumI can just imagine what he'd write about if he was alive today..Read more →
saddie23I like this type of writing, which changes into entirely something else, Bukowski is true genius. I't makes wonder why I haven't read more of the Oldpoetry poems.I guess I do more reading in the Oldpoetry page. Saddie23Read more →
MolassisInteresting... haven't read his work before... I liked the ending of this piece... it had meaning. I guess the first part of the poem is supposed to compare to the ending? I dunno... anyway, I liked the ending. ~MelissaRead more →
InactiveI was surprised by 2 things. How much I learned about computers and the ending. Good job.Read more →
incipient fireand ......... venus makes a transit of the sun ........ i see u have run the techno gammit my friendRead more →
Ava NoireWell this makes me wish I knew more about computers. Though, this was fun to read, I don't think I'll be reading too many more like them! lol

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RainbowQueenYou really did make quite a unquie writing here, that I truly enjoyed. Keep up the good work.Read more →
Andrew Hideah, the good old days, four hours typing in a programme and then told you have a syntax error..lol

This is an intreaging piece, built line by line on a technical subject, only to be thrown into the eternaty of nature in the last six lines. Clever!

AndrewRead more →
Mystique Fire Vixen tmp tmpvery intresting and creativeRead more →
MartooniCan't believe I haven't come across this one before. CB is my ultimate poet hero. Funny thing, though... I've owned every single computer he mentions and felt much the same way about early compatibility problems. But then, as Chuck says: "but the wind still blows over / Savannah"

God I wish that old monster was still kicking...Read more →
InactiveOh man. This is pure Bukowski. I just love Bukowski's attitude and his tone. I think I could tell his work without his name attached. A truly distinctive voice. I have always appreciated his perspective. His poetry and his novels are always worth reading, always rntertaining, and often surprising. I am glad to see his work posted here.

ScottRead more →
MissHappsJust like Charles to lay it out ... I enjoy his mockage of technological 'advances' and 'convienences'...The clean simplicity of it all with no mesh...Read more →
KevinWow I hand't realized we have a bukowski collection This is a fun poem! Quite the take on a classical li-po type stance of comparing urban to country. Touches the computer-geek inside me Funny how hard it is to get things to work together...Read more →
InactivelolRead more →
Liked by: cindy pimentel, sdfdfsd, Domhnaill, Reed Rosson, Shaila, Mnemosys, Kenneth The Poet, Quick Beam, Anorexic Angel, Terwilliger Time, Evan Kelsey, AntCee, Sundaran, KnPT, Diu100kar, blind boi, BigDaddyLuv, yikesshewrites, Beethovenrocks, Riadasimovg, D C Roy, Jessica Anders91, Eric Seaburg, He penned it, Misskkovi, Baraka Mwakibete, Mr. Structed life, gnaved, Larry Swatuk, Gantt2500, Gangofnuns, David W. Friedman, Abstractgod, EndOfTime, Katya5, M.P. Cale, Shov, cowpox, John669, Jay823, DualisticAbyss, Memories7, therealjack, Aminoak, Poet's Resolution, AlexisVogel, Galaktički Vapaj, ateSaketAbout the Author Charles Bukowski was an American author known for his gritty and unflinching depictions of everyday life. His writing style , often categorized as "dirty realism," is characterized by its raw language, bleak humor, and unflinching portrayal of the underbelly of society. Bukowski's work often explores themes of poverty, alcoholism, and the struggles of the working class.

His poems and stories reject traditional poetic forms and instead embrace a direct, conversational style. This accessible approach, combined with his focus on the mundane and the marginalized, attracted a wide readership and made him a significant figure in the American literary landscape.

Bukowski's work emerged in the post-World War II era, a time of significant societal change and burgeoning counterculture movements. Similar authors who explored the darker aspects of American life during this period include John Fante, Charles Willeford, and Nelson Algren. He was also influenced by European writers like Louis-Ferdinand Céline and Franz Kafka, whose works similarly delved into existential angst and the absurdity of modern life.

Though he passed away in 1994, Bukowski's work continues to resonate with readers today. His unflinching honesty and stark portrayal of human nature, regardless of its flaws, offer a timeless commentary on the human condition.

Read more →In ListsBookmarks - Gantt2500 Bookmarks - Marlene24-7 More by Charles Bukowski(165) 24The Laughing Heart9The Shoelace5air and light and time and space11Hell Is A Lonely Place8My Cats6No help for that9The Last Days Of The Suicide Kid12The Great EscapeHave you read these famous poets?Robert Frost#24 Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.William Butler Yeats#27 TURNING and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the wDylan Thomas#11
Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last✕

The poem addresses the friction between the rapidly evolving, proprietary world of early personal computing technology and the enduring, unchanging rhythms of the natural world. It juxtaposes the frustrating incompatibilities inherent in the technological landscape, such as the inability of different systems, like the 16-bit Intel 8088 chip, to interact with programs or files created by others, with the persistent, indifferent cycle of nature, exemplified by the turkey buzzard strutting and flouncing. The poem establishes a thematic contrast between the fragmented, error-prone, and often absurd nature of technological systems and the timeless, immutable reality observed in the natural environment.

The formal structure of the poem mirrors this dichotomy. The short, abrupt lines and jarring line breaks are employed to evoke a sense of system error or technical malfunction, serving as a blunt formal experiment that reflects the flawed, disconnected nature of the digital world. This fragmented style is contrasted with the fluid descriptions of nature, positioning the natural scene as the stable, underlying operating system against which human technological endeavors are measured.

The poem functions as a critique of systems, reflecting the author's broader skepticism toward structures, whether they be governmental systems, economic systems, or consumer technology. It functions as a sneer at the narrative of progress, suggesting that the constant pursuit of technological advancement is ultimately superficial when contrasted with the constancy of the natural world. The poem ultimately uses the imagery of the buzzard—a crude, primal creature engaged in mating rituals—as the true, unchanging operator, thereby undercutting the perceived importance of human-made technological complexity.

The poem is interpreted as a commentary on modern digital ecosystems, predicting contemporary frustrations with incompatible applications and digital environments, making the poem relevant to current struggles with evolving and often frustrating technological interfaces. It captures the tension between the human desire to create complex, ordered systems and the reality of their inherent incompatibility, while simultaneously advocating for an appreciation of the uncomplicated beauty found in nature.