‘The Bluebird’ by Charles Bukowski was originally published in his 1992 anthology The Last Night of the Earth Poems.
Bukowski uses the American songbird as a metaphor for vulnerable emotions, explaining how he has attempted to trap the bluebird within his heart, unable or unwilling let it out. When the poet says “I am too strong for him”, it implies his masculinity is at risk of seeming weak if he exposes the bluebird within him, and uses alcohol, amorous women, and cigarettes to dull the pain of keeping the bluebird hidden in his heart.
This heart-achingly beautiful poem has had some equally beautiful animation added by Cambridge School of Art student Monika Umba, really bringing the poem to life.
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