IF YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER

Don't look away, or turn away from death.
Look at the last tortured breaths...
The hesitation...the gurgle...
Then the final exhalation.
Feel the energy leaving the body...
And look hard into the husk of what was...
If you want to be a writer.
Sit in the shittiest bars you can find.
Argue with everyone.
Get into fistfights.
Screw old hookers who need the money.
Take plenty of chances, and buy lottery tickets.
Buy undependable prophylactics...
From urine-soaked tavern bathrooms.
They always break when you use them anyway.
So go without them, take the risk...
Sex is better without them...
If you want to be a writer.
Go to sporting events, like horse races. Observe the human drama!
Go to boxing matches and union meetings.
Seek out criminals, hobos, carnival barkers, and confidence men.
Look for heroin addicts, alcoholics, stockbrokers, attorneys, judges,
Politicians, policemen, cocksuckers...
If you want to be a writer.
Take LSD, PCP, mescaline, heroin, cocaine, quaaludes, antihistamines,
Nectarines, alcohol, phenobarbitol, geritol, ingest it all...
Without question...
Have the balls to use it all...
If you want to be a writer.
Stick English class up your ass...
If you want to be a writer.
Go sniff glue, raise some hell...argue incessantly, might as well...
'Cause academia isn't going to recognize you anyway...
As a bona-fide writer!
The tenured professor in tweed suits, are in cahoots...
To recognize mediocrity!
They all want to stay within safe, structured, accepted, writing principles and procedures...
They use flowery language no one can comprehend.
Impress the critics with your communicative skills by using high-brow language!
Write about the beauty of things...ugh!
If you want to be a writer.

from: Chicago Stories and Other Thoughts from a Working Class Guy...available on Amazon.com