vodka7: the poem is Nirvana, one that Tom Waits did a spoken bit for with a bit of a pump organ in the background. it was wonderful, i love it. I kind of associate myself with that young man in the poem.
i have one book of his poems, and i think i'll get Women next. it was suggested to me.
~tmm
No offense, you really can't understand how great Women is unless you've been in at least one really crazy relationship. I read it when I was your age and didn't get anywhere near what I got out of it when I read it after college. Since you're just finishing high school, Ham on Rye may be a good place to start. Post Office is always a classic. Factotum and especially Pulp can wait until much, much later.
I just read Nirvana, and if that's the type of Buk you like, you really might want to consider waiting on Women. Any of his books of poetry, especially the Black Sparrow stuff, will be a better place to continue. (I have issues with the quality control at City Lights. As scary as it was to see Buk's on a HarperCollins imprint now, they're still edited by John Martin, his longtime friend and publisher.)
If you want any specific recommendations, feel free to PM me, I look for Buk every time I'm in a library or a bookstore, and I've read dozens and dozens of his books.
Actually, you should also check the library for some John Fante books. He was one of Buk's favorite authors, and they became very close late in life (Buk has a few poems about being at Fante's deathbed.) His books are a little more upbeat than Buk's, and a little closer in style to Nirvana. Check out 1933 Was A Bad Year if you can find it. Most places will have Ask the Dusk, which is good but derails a bit towards the end. I'd recommend skipping his later works (the wine trilogy, the posthumous stuff on Black Sparrow) until you're sure you really like him.
