"the great escape" by Charles Bukowski

listen, he said, you ever seen a bunch of crabs in a

bucket?

no, I told him.

well, what happens is that now and then one crab

will climb up on top of the others

and begin to climb toward the top of the bucket,

then, just as he’s about to escape

another crab grabs him and pulls him back

down.

really? I asked.

really, he said, and this job is just like that, none

of the others want anybody to get out of

here. that’s just the way it is

in the postal service!

I believe you, I said.

just then the supervisor walked up and said,

you fellows were talking.

there is no talking allowed on this

job.

I had been there for eleven and one-half

years.

I got up off my stool and climbed right up the

supervisor

and then I reached up and pulled myself right

out of there.

it was so easy it was unbelievable.

but none of the others followed me.

and after that, whenever I had crab legs

I thought about that place.

I must have thought about that place

maybe 5 or 6 times

before I switched to lobster.

"the great escape" by Charles Bukowski from Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way.

© Ecco Press, 2004.