Charles Bukowski
Looking for a Job
Looking for a Job

It was Philly and the bartender said, "What?"
And I said, "Give me a draft Jim, got to get the nerves straight. I'm going to look for a job"
"You?" he said, "A job?"
"Yeah Jim, I saw something in the paper, no experience necessary"
And he said, "Hell, you don't want a job"
And I said, "Hell no but I need money"
And I finished the beer and I got on the bus and I watched the numbers
And soon the numbers got closer
And then I was right there, and I pulled the cord and the bus stopped and I got off
It was a large building made of tin
The sliding door was stuck in the dirt, I pulled it back and went in
And there wasn't any floor just more ground
Lumpy, wet, and it stank
And there were sounds like things being sawed in half and things drilled and it was dark
And men walked on girders overhead
And men pushed trucks across the ground
And men sat at machines doing things
And there were shots of lightning and thunder
And suddenly a bucket full of flame came swinging at my head
It roared and boiled with flame
It hung from a loose chain that came right at me
And somebody hollered, "Hey! Look out!"
And I just ducked under the bucket, feeling the heat go over me
And somebody asked, "What do you want?"
And I said, "Where's the nearest crapper?"
And I was told and I went inside
Then came out and saw silhouettes of men moving through flame and sound
I walked to the door, got outside
Took the bus back to town and sat down
And ordered another draft
And Jim asked, "What happened?"
And I said, "They didn't want me Jim"
Then this whore came in and sat down and everybody looked at her
She looked fine
I remember for the first time in my life I almost wished I had a vagina and clit instead of what I had
But in two or three days I got over that and I was reading the want ads again