Saints Need Sinners

Working with poets today... someone sent this poem from Betting on the Muse.

defining the magic

a good poem is like a cold beer when you need it,
a good poem is a hot turkey sandwich when you're hungry,
a good poem is a gun when the mob corners you,
a good poem is something that allows you to
walk through the streets of death,
a good poem can make death melt like hot butter,
a good poem can frame agony and hang it on the wall,
a good poem can let your feet touch China,
a good poem can make a broken mind fly,
a good poem can let you shake hands with Mozart,
a good poem can let you shoot craps with the devil and win,
a good poem can do almost anything,
and most important a good poem knows when to stop.

Charles Bukowski