13 May 2012

Sunday Salon: "Listen to the Warm" by Rod McKuen


Mother's Day is usually a laid-back affair for me and my family. No brunch at a crowded restaurant for me! I get Chinese takeaway and a quiet day at home, which is just the way I like it. So I thought the best companion for this day would be a slim volume of poetry.

Listen to the Warm  by Rod McKuen is the book I chose for today. Although I don't remember reading this particular volume, McKuen was a favorite of mine in my teens when I was attracted to anything produced in the late 1960s. It is clear that his work had an influence on my own high school poetry. This is verse that I can understand, expressing feelings of new love and lost love with a minimum of references to flora and fauna. There are also poems that make me think of soldiers coming home from war, which are unfortunately as timely now as they were back in 1967 when this book was published. Here is one passage that stuck with me:

I killed a man today.
The only thing I'd hurt before
was you one time while making love
and then I only kissed too hard.

I used to spend many a Sunday in my youth reading poetry and listening to folk music. It stimulated my mind for the week ahead. Perhaps it is a practice worth revisiting.

1 comment:

Melissa Wiebe said...

Sounds like you had a relaxing day :)