He sat me down
at a cafe
with a black coffee
and a legal pad
“Look Bruce, you’re 34, you’ve got to
get serious about your future.”
“OK,” I said
“There are only four foolproof ways
to create unimaginable wealth in this world.”
He made a list:
1. Build a successful business
2. Buy and sell real estate
3. Invest shrewdly in the market
4. Inherit
There was a long silence
after the list hit the
legal pad
This was going to get
uncomfortable
and we both knew it
He sipped at his coffee
I slurped at mine
A blue 1972
Volkswagon Beetle
pulled into the
parking lot outside
I stared down into the
oily black in my mug
and imagined
managing employees
Hemingway walked in
and ordered a hot reuben
I thought of the
NASDAQ Composite
and how I might
learn and earn
Emily Dickinson was at the
cash register
staring directly at me
I broke her gaze
and remembered all the
great real estate books
available at Amazon
Van Gogh stumbled out of
the bathroom glancing
our way as he passed
I knew there was no check
coming in the mail from a
distant uncle wealthy and forgotten
Sylvia Plath was standing
in the kitchen oddly close to
the oven, her hand on
the cook’s shoulder
The clock over the counter
ticked off the minutes
the hours
the years
It had been long enough
“Look, thanks for your
concern, but my advisors
have all this handled already,” I said
He didn’t like the sound of that
And he would never
understand
So I threw three bucks on the table
and walked out the door behind
Dostoevsky
who turned
handed me a pair of dice
and walked away
The sun was high
and blinding
Storm clouds
were forming
behind the ridge
I shook the dice
in my hand
and turned
left
29 responses so far ↓
1 Peter J Cooper | 14 May 2007
This is gorgeous. Any comment is going to appear pithy by comparison.
2 Ken | 14 May 2007
I’m sweating, smiling and thinking. Damn, that’s razor sharp.
3 Rong | 14 May 2007
Deserves a link with your “Best Of” list.
You have got to do this one in a podcast. Your voice behind this one would make it absolute perfection!
And yes that’s a stroke, but an honest one. ;-)
4 Robert Bruce | 14 May 2007
Peter - Thanks. Not pithy in the least.
By the way, why does your name sound so familiar?
5 Robert Bruce | 14 May 2007
Ken - Much appreciated.
Sorry I’ll never make a great agent… you don’t have worry about competition from me ;)
6 Robert Bruce | 14 May 2007
Rong - Thanks baby. Podcast on Wednesday…
7 Jessica Poundstone | 14 May 2007
Terrifc and fantastic. Bravo, Bruce.
8 Robert Bruce | 14 May 2007
Poundstone - You’re fantastic. Thanks for coming around…
To All: click Jessica’s link above and take a look at her art. Really.
9 communicatrix | 14 May 2007
Funny, I just picked up the Bukowski docu at the libe tonight for another viewing and thought of you.
You remind me a lot of him, which is a *huge* compliment from me.
Hell, what am I saying? Getting a *comment* from me is a huge compliment, these days.
Well, done, my young and relatively sober friend…
10 candice | 14 May 2007
Oh hell, nothing is foolproof.
The only way to get rich is to risk everything, and then some.
I like this one.
11 Robert Bruce | 14 May 2007
Communicamatrixiom -
Huge indeed. I just have to continually find new ways to try and kill him off.
Relatively… yes…
12 Robert Bruce | 14 May 2007
EarthQuates-
I’m loving this name thing.
Listen, even though you’re my digital conscience you KNOW that a certain license rules around here, so give me the foolproof, come on, let me have it. Just this once.
And I agree on the risk. It is not overrated (sp?).
13 Peter Flaschner | 15 May 2007
Robert: Printed and taped to the wall right in front of me.
Printed on nice stock, and put in a shadow box along with a pair of dice, this would make a great gift.
14 Alex | 15 May 2007
Yeah.
With u.
15 candice | 15 May 2007
The words you can have, my friend, it’s not like I can make them up. It fits with something the guy with the legal pad would say.
16 Loren Feldman | 15 May 2007
Right on.
17 Mark Goodyear | 15 May 2007
This was going to get
uncomfortable
and we both knew it
That’s a great stanza, Robert. And a good reminder of what happens when people with conflicting worldviews sit down for coffee.
It can be really really uncomfortable.
(Peter, good to see you here!)
18 Matt Reed | 15 May 2007
Thanks for this, Mr. Bruce. Thanks for this.
19 Robert Bruce | 15 May 2007
Flaschner - Honored to hang on your wall baby. Honored.
20 Robert Bruce | 15 May 2007
Mark - Yes, and the most interesting…
21 Robert Bruce | 15 May 2007
Reed - You’re welcome. Good to have a class act like you around…
22 Knife Gun Pen Talking Show No. 37 | 17 May 2007
[...] This is a reading of The Four Foolproof Ways To Create Unimaginable Wealth In This World. [...]
23 Chris P. | 22 May 2007
RBeezy — Haven’t stopped by in a while, but I think I was lucky enough to catch a classic within the first couple minutes of my visit. I wish everyone could read this.
I see I need to fix the spacing on the comment numbers on trackbacks, too. I hope nobody else sees that.
24 Brian Clark | 26 Jul 2007
Robert, beyond brilliant.
Pearson, try to get your act together, will ya? ;)
25 Robert Bruce | American Writer | Knife Gun Pen | KGP Broadside No. 3 | Four Foolproof Ways To Create Unimaginable Wealth In This World | 25 Feb 2008
[...] This poem was originally published on Knife Gun Pen on 14 May 2007 (for those who want to take a look before [...]
26 potterspoet | 1 Apr 2008
holy shit.
okay. screw reality. i’m giving in and pursuing the english major writing minor. you’re just too brilliant.
27 l | 2 Apr 2008
tasty
28 Dawn | 7 Apr 2008
Was it randomstance that brought me to this post first? A new initiate to the Knife Gun Pen of Robert Bruce. I could have plucked any one but I’m in love with the number four…and now with your words.
29 Lissa Bergin-Boles | 14 May 2008
when you got it with words, you got it.
and when you use what you got to tell the story we all live, live true or just go for the bright shiny, you speak for us all.
as all real art does when we live it.
thanks.
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