Скачать или смотреть Cold Summer by Charles Bukowski (read by Tom O'Bedlam)

The first line refers to John Fante(1909-1983), author of the classic L.A. novel Ask the Dust, whom Bukowski’s admired as a writer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fante. There are a few different versions of this poem, some leave out the first line and that loses the plot.

Here's Roberts Towns who wrote the script for Chinatown talking about John Fante, saying he was an authentic source of the way people talked in the thirties.
   • John Fante - A Sad Flower In The Sand  

not as bad as yours, Fante,
but bad enough: in and out
of the hospital, in and out of
the doctor’s office, swinging
by the thread: you’re in
remission… no, wait,
new cells here… and your
platelets are way down…
you been drinking?
we’ll probably have to take
another bone marrow…

the doctor is busy, the
waiting room in the cancer
ward is crowded: people
reading Time, people reading
People…

the nurses are pleasant, they
joke with me.
I think that’s nice, joking in the
shadows of death.

my wife is with me.
I am sorry for my wife, I am
sorry for everybody’s
wife.

then we are down in the parking lot.
I drive sometimes.
I drive then.

it's been a cold summer
“maybe you should take a
little swim”
suggests my wife.

it’s a warmer day than
usual. “sure,” I say
and pull out of the parking lot.

she’s a brave woman, she
acts like everything is
normal.

but I’ve got to pay for all
those profligate years;
there were so many of
them.
the bill has come due
and they’ll only accept
one final
payment.

might as well take a
swim.