I was a man who thrived on solitude; without it I was like another man without food or water. Each day without solitude weakened me. I took no pride … - Charles Bukowski

The Laughing Heart

your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.

The free soul is rare, but you know it when you see it - basically because you feel good, very good, when you are near or with them.

What a weary time those years were — to have the desire and the need to live but not the ability.