Charles Bukowski is one of the world's most well-known writers and his poetry ranges from his struggles with alcohol and gambling to his love for his cats. Here are 8 of his poems that everyone needs in their life.

1. "Almost Competition"

And those who
succeed
know
this secret:
there isn't
one.

When you are fighting so hard to get to where you want to go, or where you think you want to go, it may seem like where you are now and where you are trying to get are worlds apart, but sometimes they're the same place. You may not really need what you think you want, so you may have to take a second look at your priorities.

Read the whole poem here.

2. "I Met A Genius"

I met a genius on the train
today
about 6 years old.

Geniuses are not always the professors with glasses and overflowing briefcases. A genius could be the six year-old that you sit next to the just has a different view to present to you.

Read the whole poem here.

3. "Safe"

They are surviving.
They are not
homeless.
But the price is
terrible.

Living a perfect routine life is okay for some people, but for people like Bukowski, seeing people live their lives the exact same day in and day out can be sad. This poem captures his distaste with the way his neighbors live their routine lives.

Read the whole poem here.

4. "Pull A String, A Puppet Moves"

All our necessities
including love,
rest on foundations of sand.

It is important to know that everything around us is precious and can be taken from us at any moment, so we must learn to love and cherish every little thing we have for however long we have it.

Read the whole poem here.

5. "My Cats"

When I am feeling
low
all I have to do is
watch my cats
and my
courage
returns.

I have yet to find someone who loves and respects their cats as much as Bukowski. I think we need to be reminded of how cats truly are the best, and this is one of his poems that does that.

Read the whole poem here.

6. "Gamblers All"

Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think,
I'm not going to make it, but you laugh inside
remembering all the times you've felt this way...

Some days absolutely suck and it feels like you are never going to make it past that day. For days like those, it helps to hear from other people that have felt the same way. Bukowski's ramblings about bad days and making it through those bad times have really helped me through some hard times, and I hope they can do the same for you.

Read the whole poem here.

7. "No Help For That"

There is a place in the heart that
will never be filled
and
we will wait
and
wait
in that
space.

Anyone that has experienced any kind of heartbreak knows the kind of hole there is in your heart. They know that people tend to hide in that hole and wait for someone to come pull them out. Sometimes, we need to know that we're not alone.

Read the whole poem here.

8. "Roll the Dice"

If you're going to try, go all the
way.
Otherwise, don't even start.

It is important that you dive into everything you do head-first. There is no point in spending your time and energy on things you are not fully involved in. Some people need a reminder that it is important to spend your energy on the things most important to you and not things you think should be important to you.

Read the whole poem here.

Bukowski had an unique outlook on life, and wrote pretty much everything he thought. Some of his poems are a little personal, but these can relate to most people and are poems that I personally believe that everyone should read.