Did you tread in tepid waters?
Your toes never touching bottom
Your head never fully immersed
They called your work tepid
Yet it ignited my soul
Was purity your paradox?
Unquestionable, points made and drawn
Like constellations on a sky map
They called your work aphoristic
But your realities opened my mind
Did the words fall without effort?
A silky slide of naked truths
A penning of mindless muse
They called your work facile
As I let your clarity complicate me
Do you still listen to the warm?
Write your reveries in the clouds
Find the peace that eluded you
They called you “King of Kitsch”
But sentiment is under rated
“Eternity sneaks in
her arms full of wild promises.”
― Rod McKuen, Listen to the Warm
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For dVerse we are writing about poets that have inspired us. Rod McKuen had a huge impact on me as a teenager. Open, honest and straightforward, his work resonated with me and helped me to validate my own style of poetry. Only a few months ago, I decided to email Mr. McKuen to let him know how his work had influenced me. I procrastinated and the email was never sent. Weeks later in January of 2015, I sadly read that Rod McKuen had passed away. Another life lesson…don’t wait.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/30/arts/rod-mckuen-prolific-poet-and-lyricist-dies-at-81.html?_r=0
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mishunderstood 