Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE TRASH MEN by CHARLES BUKOWSKI

Poem Explanation Poet Analysis

First Line: HERE THEY COME / THESE GUYS
Last Line: FIND US.
Subject(s): REFUSE & REFUSE DISPOSAL;
here they come
grey and beastly
rubbing out the night
with their bloodred torches,
Numbo! they scream,
Hail Numbo!
and grocer John gets down
on the floor and hugs
his precious eggs
and sausage,
and the bats of
Babe Ruth get up and
strut their
averages
around a dark bar,
and the grey blonde in bed
with me asks
"what's all the noise?"
and I say,
"the world is coming
to an end."
and we sit in the window
and watch, strangely
happy. We have 14 cigarettes
and a bottle of wine.
enough to last
until they
find us.



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