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Listen To The Warm
This is one of the quintessential books of poetry by the famous singer-songwriter and poet, Rod McKuen. Like his music, this book of poetry is a fanciful delve into a beautiful, artistic mind.
113 pages, Hardcover
First published August 12, 1967
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495 people want to read
About the author
Rod McKuen
147 books90 followersRod McKuen (born April 29, 1933) was a bestselling American poet, composer, and singer, instrumental in the revitalization of popular poetry that took place in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Born Rodney Marvin McKuen in Oakland, California, McKuen ran away from home at the age of eleven to escape an alcoholic stepfather and to send what money he could to his mother. After a series of jobs, from logger, ranch hand, railroad worker to rodeo cowboy, throughout the west, McKuen began in the 1950s to excite audiences with his poetry readings, appearing with such well-known poets as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg; during this time, he often used the pseudonym "Dor".
McKuen moved to New York City in 1959 to compose and conduct for the TV show The CBS Workshop. By the 1960s he had achieved fame, far surpassing in sales the works of the Beat poets who preceded him. During the early 1960s he spent most of his time in France. This began his project to translate the work of legendary singer/songwriter Jacques Brel, into English. After Brel died he said, "As friends and as musical collaborators we had traveled, toured and written - together and apart - the events of our lives as if they were songs, and I guess they were. When news of Jacques’ death came I stayed locked in my bedroom and drank for a week. That kind of self pity was something he wouldn’t have approved of, but all I could do was replay our songs (our children) and ruminate over our unfinished life together."[1]
He became an icon across college campuses for his ability to capture in verse the feelings of anxiety, love, confusion, and hope that were common during the Vietnam era. His public readings had the drawing power of a rock concert.
McKuen's commercial success is unparalleled in the field of modern poetry. His poetic works have been translated into a dozen languages and sold over 65 million copies. Throughout his career he has continued to enjoy sell-out concerts around the world and appears regularly at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall.
Edward Habib's liner notes for McKuen's Amsterdam Concert album make the often-repeated claim that Rod McKuen is the best-selling and most widely read poet of all time. This claim is probably rooted in the fact that McKuen's works -- unlike those of Shakespeare or Dante Alighieri -- are copyrighted, and his total sales can be more readily quantified.
As a songwriter, he contributed to the sale of over 100 million records. His material has been recorded by such artists as Frank Sinatra (who in 1969 recorded A Man Alone, an album of McKuen's songs), Johnny Cash who (just before his death) recorded McKuen's "Love's Been Good To Me", Waylon Jennings, The London Philharmonic, Greta Keller, Perry Como, and Madonna. Perhaps his most well-known song is "Jean", recorded by Oliver in 1969 for the soundtrack to the film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. In 1959, McKuen released a novelty single on the Brunswick label called "The Mummy". Bob Mcfadden and Dor was listed as the artist.. In 1961, he had a hit single titled "Oliver Twist".. McKuen has proven to be a prolific songwriter, penning over 1500 songs. He collaborated with a variety of internationally renowned composers, including Henry Mancini and John Williams, and a highly successful series of albums with Anita Kerr. His symphonies, concertos, and other classical works have been performed by orchestras around the globe. His work as a composer in the film industry has garnered him two Academy Award nominations.
Throughout his multi-award-winning career, McKuen paired his artistic endeavors with a spirit for social reform. Before a tour of South Africa in the 1970s, McKuen demanded “mixed seating” among white and black concert-goers, opening the doors for successful tours by a variety of African-American performers, including Sammy Davis, Jr. and Ella Fitzgerald. He also spearheaded efforts to raise AIDS awareness and fund charities for children and senior
Born Rodney Marvin McKuen in Oakland, California, McKuen ran away from home at the age of eleven to escape an alcoholic stepfather and to send what money he could to his mother. After a series of jobs, from logger, ranch hand, railroad worker to rodeo cowboy, throughout the west, McKuen began in the 1950s to excite audiences with his poetry readings, appearing with such well-known poets as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg; during this time, he often used the pseudonym "Dor".
McKuen moved to New York City in 1959 to compose and conduct for the TV show The CBS Workshop. By the 1960s he had achieved fame, far surpassing in sales the works of the Beat poets who preceded him. During the early 1960s he spent most of his time in France. This began his project to translate the work of legendary singer/songwriter Jacques Brel, into English. After Brel died he said, "As friends and as musical collaborators we had traveled, toured and written - together and apart - the events of our lives as if they were songs, and I guess they were. When news of Jacques’ death came I stayed locked in my bedroom and drank for a week. That kind of self pity was something he wouldn’t have approved of, but all I could do was replay our songs (our children) and ruminate over our unfinished life together."[1]
He became an icon across college campuses for his ability to capture in verse the feelings of anxiety, love, confusion, and hope that were common during the Vietnam era. His public readings had the drawing power of a rock concert.
McKuen's commercial success is unparalleled in the field of modern poetry. His poetic works have been translated into a dozen languages and sold over 65 million copies. Throughout his career he has continued to enjoy sell-out concerts around the world and appears regularly at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall.
Edward Habib's liner notes for McKuen's Amsterdam Concert album make the often-repeated claim that Rod McKuen is the best-selling and most widely read poet of all time. This claim is probably rooted in the fact that McKuen's works -- unlike those of Shakespeare or Dante Alighieri -- are copyrighted, and his total sales can be more readily quantified.
As a songwriter, he contributed to the sale of over 100 million records. His material has been recorded by such artists as Frank Sinatra (who in 1969 recorded A Man Alone, an album of McKuen's songs), Johnny Cash who (just before his death) recorded McKuen's "Love's Been Good To Me", Waylon Jennings, The London Philharmonic, Greta Keller, Perry Como, and Madonna. Perhaps his most well-known song is "Jean", recorded by Oliver in 1969 for the soundtrack to the film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. In 1959, McKuen released a novelty single on the Brunswick label called "The Mummy". Bob Mcfadden and Dor was listed as the artist.. In 1961, he had a hit single titled "Oliver Twist".. McKuen has proven to be a prolific songwriter, penning over 1500 songs. He collaborated with a variety of internationally renowned composers, including Henry Mancini and John Williams, and a highly successful series of albums with Anita Kerr. His symphonies, concertos, and other classical works have been performed by orchestras around the globe. His work as a composer in the film industry has garnered him two Academy Award nominations.
Throughout his multi-award-winning career, McKuen paired his artistic endeavors with a spirit for social reform. Before a tour of South Africa in the 1970s, McKuen demanded “mixed seating” among white and black concert-goers, opening the doors for successful tours by a variety of African-American performers, including Sammy Davis, Jr. and Ella Fitzgerald. He also spearheaded efforts to raise AIDS awareness and fund charities for children and senior
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
July 11, 2012
It surprises me that so many people dislike McKuen's works! I love this poet. His words are so sensually full of love and loss and feeling that I don't understand how his poetry can't speak to everyone. But maybe that isolation for the ones that it does speak to is part of the beauty of the poetry.
February 3, 2025
I discovered the poetry of Rod McKuen at a book sale at my local library. He has become on of my favorite poets; it is amazing the 'book gems' you can find if you look around! He has a real gift for taking the reader along with him; it is as if you were walking together and talking about what has transpired that day.
December 22, 2010
Putting these on my online bookshelf is like leafing through a scrapbook of my life. This one is from my 20s, moving away from home, losing my virginity, drinking a little more than was good for me, crying at the drop of a hat, lost in the romance novels I had grown up on.
To lay down in the darkness and listen to the warm.
Says it all doesn't it.
To lay down in the darkness and listen to the warm.
Says it all doesn't it.
March 3, 2009
Rod Mckuen ... no matter which collection of his poems I read, they are all so beautiful, full of love, and loss, and so tired, and so awake.
Breathtaking.
Heartbreaking.
Breathtaking.
Heartbreaking.
May 31, 2016
I decided to read one of my old books of poetry today called “Listen to the Warm” by Rod McKuen. Rod McKuen was one of my favorite poets back in the 1960s. He was born in a nearby city, Oakland, California. He worked in many types of jobs from newspaper man to laborer until he served in the Army who put him to work writing. On returning to civilian life his friend from San Francisco, Phyllis Diller, encouraged him to perform at the Purple Onion, and that trigger him “being discovered”. He was under contract to Universal as an actor in the 1950s. In 1959 he moved to New York to compose and conduct the music for Albert McCleery’s television series, The CBS Workshop. He became a major composer having written more than 1500 hundred songs. He received an Academy Award nomination for the musical scores in 1969 for “The Prime of Miss Jane Brodie” and “A Boy Named Charlie Brown”. On the more serious side “The City: A Suite for narrator and orchestra” was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Music in1970.
He also became a renowned poet. I have not only his books of poems but also his records reciting his poems. Remember this is in the days before CDs and audiotape. His record of his book of poems “Lonesome Cities” won the 1968 Grammy for best spoken recording.
Many dismissed his poetry as being too schmaltzy. Newsweek magazine called him “The King of Kitsch” but I enjoyed his mellow poetry. A few lines of his poem Clouds is an example
Clouds are not the cheeks of angels you know
They’re only clouds.
Friendly sometimes, but you can never be sure.
If I had longer arms
I’d push the clouds way
Or make them hang above the water somewhere else,
But I’m just a man
-- and on goes the poem, but this is a sample of one of his poems from the book of poems “Listen to the Warm” from 1963. The book is 113 pages long so it is easy to read in only an hour or so.
He also became a renowned poet. I have not only his books of poems but also his records reciting his poems. Remember this is in the days before CDs and audiotape. His record of his book of poems “Lonesome Cities” won the 1968 Grammy for best spoken recording.
Many dismissed his poetry as being too schmaltzy. Newsweek magazine called him “The King of Kitsch” but I enjoyed his mellow poetry. A few lines of his poem Clouds is an example
Clouds are not the cheeks of angels you know
They’re only clouds.
Friendly sometimes, but you can never be sure.
If I had longer arms
I’d push the clouds way
Or make them hang above the water somewhere else,
But I’m just a man
-- and on goes the poem, but this is a sample of one of his poems from the book of poems “Listen to the Warm” from 1963. The book is 113 pages long so it is easy to read in only an hour or so.
January 19, 2019
Years ago I saw a poem from this book (Listen to the warm, Two) and I related to it so much that I bought it. Now that I've read it all I can say is that it's ge-ne-ric.
Anyone could have (and everyone has) written these fucking poems. I don't know how new this super casual, kinda vent-y, and personal style was when they were written but now everyone writes like this. A couple poems about the pets who are the only ones who don't abandon him of course, a couple poems about war which doesn't seem to have affected him that much and seem out of place even, and a hundred about "love" which are actually just a lot of sexual encounters. "No one ever stays boohoo", maybe you are the problem dude.
Generic guy generically writing about fucking women, every one of them gets a poem with the same imagery as all the others and almost no literary devices, but no woman has something that distinguishes her from the others, because really, for him, they're not different. All the poems feel the same, all you read is "bed", "summer", "love".
This book is not a pain to read, which is why I won't give it one star, but it doesn't offer anything interesting or unique. Not cringy, unlike the poetry that you find now, but nothing worth anyone's time.
Anyone could have (and everyone has) written these fucking poems. I don't know how new this super casual, kinda vent-y, and personal style was when they were written but now everyone writes like this. A couple poems about the pets who are the only ones who don't abandon him of course, a couple poems about war which doesn't seem to have affected him that much and seem out of place even, and a hundred about "love" which are actually just a lot of sexual encounters. "No one ever stays boohoo", maybe you are the problem dude.
Generic guy generically writing about fucking women, every one of them gets a poem with the same imagery as all the others and almost no literary devices, but no woman has something that distinguishes her from the others, because really, for him, they're not different. All the poems feel the same, all you read is "bed", "summer", "love".
This book is not a pain to read, which is why I won't give it one star, but it doesn't offer anything interesting or unique. Not cringy, unlike the poetry that you find now, but nothing worth anyone's time.
October 9, 2010
This is one of my favorite Rod McKuen poetry books. His third poetry collection and a wonderful collection of poetry. This book contains my favorite poem "Song without Words". This was also the first poetry book of McKuens that I read back in 1985 when my father thought that I would enjoy Rod's poetry. He was not mistaken as McKuen touched my heart and continues to touch my heart today over 20 years later.
Any poetry lover will truly love the words and emotion that McKuen places on the paper of his book. Touches your soul and emotions in a way that brings one to life.
I highly recommend this collection of poetry and have read it over and over. One that holds a place near and dear to my heart.
Any poetry lover will truly love the words and emotion that McKuen places on the paper of his book. Touches your soul and emotions in a way that brings one to life.
I highly recommend this collection of poetry and have read it over and over. One that holds a place near and dear to my heart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2009
This book is an old friend from the sixties recently revisited. Who could forget the loving tribute to A Cat Named Sloopy? Reading through the poems re-inspired my love of poetry.
March 10, 2022
Didn't quite make it to the end, some of the poems are going a little over my head. I'd rather come back to it another time so I understand the full effect of what he's saying.
September 1, 2009
I picked up this book of poetry at a flea market. I sort of remember seeing copies of McKuens books around during the college years, but never succumbed to his populist oeuvre. I also remember people telling me I would like his “stuff.” Well, ‘stuff’ it certainly is. I don’t know how I would have reacted to this when I was in my teens, but probably the same way I reacted now—I gave it to the dog for a chew toy and self-prescribed an insulin shot. If all his poetry is like this, no wonder the nation is headed for a Type 2 Diabetes epidemic. Good Lord, it’s all desert, without one morsel of wit, intelligence, angst, or well . . . anything nutritious. I looked this author up and discovered he is one of the most popular in the world (yes, he’s still alive) and has sold a bazillion books, records (I’ll assume CD’s) with endless sold out concerts. I really was going to throw the book away, but a buddy suggested I keep it because it was published in the 60’s and might be collectable some day. My thoughts were: dude, they printed millions of these! I certainly can’t put it on the poetry shelf. Auden and Eliot would have conniptions! There—I’ll let it rest near fantasy section—since it merely dreams of being poetry.
Here is apparently a famous poem:
(WARNING—this may induce thoughts violence, perhaps suicide, maybe mass murder!)
“I wanted to write you some words you'd remember
words so alert they'd leap from the paper
and crawl up your shoulder and lie by your ears
and be there to comfort you down through the years.
But it was cloudy that day and I was lazy
and so I stayed in bed just thinking about it.
I wanted to write you and tell you that maybe
love songs from lovers are unnecessary.
We are what we feel and writing it down
seems foolish sometimes without vocal sound.
But I spent the day drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes
and looking in the mirror practicing my smile.
I wanted to write you one last, long love song
that said what I felt one final time.
Not comparing your eyes and mouth to the stars
but telling you only how like yourself you are.
But by the time I thought of it, found a pen,
put the pen to ink, the ink to paper,
you were gone.
And so, this song has no words.”
Here is apparently a famous poem:
(WARNING—this may induce thoughts violence, perhaps suicide, maybe mass murder!)
“I wanted to write you some words you'd remember
words so alert they'd leap from the paper
and crawl up your shoulder and lie by your ears
and be there to comfort you down through the years.
But it was cloudy that day and I was lazy
and so I stayed in bed just thinking about it.
I wanted to write you and tell you that maybe
love songs from lovers are unnecessary.
We are what we feel and writing it down
seems foolish sometimes without vocal sound.
But I spent the day drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes
and looking in the mirror practicing my smile.
I wanted to write you one last, long love song
that said what I felt one final time.
Not comparing your eyes and mouth to the stars
but telling you only how like yourself you are.
But by the time I thought of it, found a pen,
put the pen to ink, the ink to paper,
you were gone.
And so, this song has no words.”
September 26, 2015
A book of poetry that reads like listening to your own thoughts. It's honest, beautiful, and has very few rhyming words. The voice of the poet sounds like your best friend, sharing and listening... and it's warm.
September 13, 2018
These poems are like the antithesis of Bukowski. I'm giving this collection 5 stars purely because the poems of loss are relatable as hell, beautifully written, and I am not ashamed to admit they made me cry.
June 11, 2012
McKuen is daring in his simplicity and it works beautifully.
July 25, 2020
4.5 star but I feel good about rounding up. I can honestly say I liked every poem in this collection which is rare for me. Of course there were some I loved more than others but there was not a single bad poem in this.
July 22, 2022
A poetry book? Yes please.
I loved everything about this book, that’s all I have to say
Fav quotes:
-I’m just a man
who needs and wants, mostly things he’ll never have.
-Listen
I don’t apologize for being hard to know, I am what I am.
-and then you’ll see I’m only me.
Where you expecting something more?
-The times, oh we had some times
when love cost only nickels and dimes.
-The snow, the snow keeps on falling
worthless, like the tears you cry over love.
I loved everything about this book, that’s all I have to say
Fav quotes:
-I’m just a man
who needs and wants, mostly things he’ll never have.
-Listen
I don’t apologize for being hard to know, I am what I am.
-and then you’ll see I’m only me.
Where you expecting something more?
-The times, oh we had some times
when love cost only nickels and dimes.
-The snow, the snow keeps on falling
worthless, like the tears you cry over love.
May 31, 2025
may b probably my 5th-7th time reading this ?
thank U mr mckuen for my beloveddd Listen to the Warm :)
post script edittt probably more around 10th time idk or more probably may b :?:) to hav gotten to read thss book of poetryy cus i remember now i thrifted this book in high school
thank U mr mckuen for my beloveddd Listen to the Warm :)
post script edittt probably more around 10th time idk or more probably may b :?:) to hav gotten to read thss book of poetryy cus i remember now i thrifted this book in high school
July 28, 2024
“Watch the indolent butterfly playing on the tall flower in the yard and think about the sun going down. It always does you know.”
that quote was enough for me tbh. also the poem with the line about mind-clutter where the speaker asks to be remembered despite it all. becoming a sucker for second person in poetry i believe
also this guy really appreciates his cats and the ocean which i appreciate because i additionally appreciate cats and the ocean
that quote was enough for me tbh. also the poem with the line about mind-clutter where the speaker asks to be remembered despite it all. becoming a sucker for second person in poetry i believe
also this guy really appreciates his cats and the ocean which i appreciate because i additionally appreciate cats and the ocean
May 4, 2022
Wanted to read this because it was on my parents' bookshelf when I was a child and the title on the orange spine of the cover mystified me for years. I may have tried to read it and been confused. But The Title stuck with me.
At odd times, sitting on my living room couch with the only noise the ticking mantel clock and the windows black or curled up in bed surrounded by soft dark layers of blankets and pillows, I would think, this is it, "Listen to the Warm" and I felt like it almost made sense.
I searched my mother's house and couldn't find the book there.
Finally, I purchased the book, the same edition, same cover, so it could be on my own shelf. Still didn't read it.
Today, home sick from work with COVID, I read the entire book, May The Fourth be with me and you also.
I have to say, that, in my opinion, Rod McKuen was definitely a poet, his poems are accessible, they aren't impressive or smooth or metered or clever, but they do express various emotions clearly of isolation, boredom, laziness, angst, loneliness, aging, gratitude, love of life and cats and friends and sex, and they work just fine.
I have read a pile of poetry in my life and these poems were more of a pleasure to read than many others.
I don't think any will become my favorites, but I marked some as funny and/or worth reading again.
And I still love the line "Listen to the Warm."
At odd times, sitting on my living room couch with the only noise the ticking mantel clock and the windows black or curled up in bed surrounded by soft dark layers of blankets and pillows, I would think, this is it, "Listen to the Warm" and I felt like it almost made sense.
I searched my mother's house and couldn't find the book there.
Finally, I purchased the book, the same edition, same cover, so it could be on my own shelf. Still didn't read it.
Today, home sick from work with COVID, I read the entire book, May The Fourth be with me and you also.
I have to say, that, in my opinion, Rod McKuen was definitely a poet, his poems are accessible, they aren't impressive or smooth or metered or clever, but they do express various emotions clearly of isolation, boredom, laziness, angst, loneliness, aging, gratitude, love of life and cats and friends and sex, and they work just fine.
I have read a pile of poetry in my life and these poems were more of a pleasure to read than many others.
I don't think any will become my favorites, but I marked some as funny and/or worth reading again.
And I still love the line "Listen to the Warm."
September 17, 2007
Listen to the Warm is a slim volume of poetry written by composer and singer Rod McKuen. I'm not familiar with his music but I liked the cheery cover and snatched it up from the Dublin library discard shelf. I read it almost immediately and enjoyed it thoroughly.
The poems cover McKuen's life in New York, his love life over the years and his appreciation for his one true friend, his cat. The poems are often times not much more than mood pieces but they still paint vivid but brief glimpses into life in New York City. It's like looking at the different layers of a cat scan and it's not until all the images are looked at in context can you piece together the person being studied. So it is with Listen to the Warm.
Some of the poems McKuen used as lyrics in his songs. Since I've not heard his songs (to the best of my knowledge) I didn't have the added benefit of being able to sing along but I could still appreciate the rhythm to them. They are more lyrical than the other poems which border on being free verse.
The poems cover McKuen's life in New York, his love life over the years and his appreciation for his one true friend, his cat. The poems are often times not much more than mood pieces but they still paint vivid but brief glimpses into life in New York City. It's like looking at the different layers of a cat scan and it's not until all the images are looked at in context can you piece together the person being studied. So it is with Listen to the Warm.
Some of the poems McKuen used as lyrics in his songs. Since I've not heard his songs (to the best of my knowledge) I didn't have the added benefit of being able to sing along but I could still appreciate the rhythm to them. They are more lyrical than the other poems which border on being free verse.
December 15, 2009
I am, well, past 50....(picture blank and innocent look) and I have come to realize that usually when the words "coming of age" appear it's best to simply run the other way...book, movie, or TV, coming of age and I tend to move on, but, for me this was a sort of "coming of age discovery" about myself.
Every body loved Rod McKuen, I was supposed to love Rod McKuen, so I got this volume and I made a discovery.
I think Rod McKuen's work is.....crap. Just me and I'm sure Rod would cry all the way to the bank, but I just don't like it. I sat and read this, carefully considered and decided...nope, don't likeit. In fact i almost hate it...so to you who like Mckuen, enjoy, I'm overjoyed for you. As for me I'll stick with T. S. Elliot, Robert Service and Alfred Lord Tennyson, (maybe a few others).
Every body loved Rod McKuen, I was supposed to love Rod McKuen, so I got this volume and I made a discovery.
I think Rod McKuen's work is.....crap. Just me and I'm sure Rod would cry all the way to the bank, but I just don't like it. I sat and read this, carefully considered and decided...nope, don't likeit. In fact i almost hate it...so to you who like Mckuen, enjoy, I'm overjoyed for you. As for me I'll stick with T. S. Elliot, Robert Service and Alfred Lord Tennyson, (maybe a few others).
November 24, 2020
Oh, lordy. So a friend started buying me Rod McKuen books of poetry in high school; this one and one other that she gave me are autographed by him. As a teen, I loved McKuen. Hard. He was one of the first poets I read who wrote about desire and relationships in contemporary language. I mean, Donne writes about desire, but "Valediction Forbidding Mourning" did not do it for teen me. McKuen's poems felt exotic and grown up to me. I wanted to pretend I was a grown up having an affair on a beach or whatever. LOL
Does not hold up as an adult. I find most of this pretty banal and some of it kind of offensive (his comments on sixties/seventies counterculture; spoiler alert: he is against it).
I'm not getting rid of this volume because my dear friend gave it to me, and it's signed. But thus concludeth the re-reads.
Does not hold up as an adult. I find most of this pretty banal and some of it kind of offensive (his comments on sixties/seventies counterculture; spoiler alert: he is against it).
I'm not getting rid of this volume because my dear friend gave it to me, and it's signed. But thus concludeth the re-reads.
July 28, 2011
I run hot and cold on this book. It was a gift I received from a teacher when I was in the sixth grade. When I re-read it now, I'm amazed -- some of the poems are hardly appropriate for a sixth grader, even one who may seem extraordinarily bright.
Still, there are poems that I can still recite from memory, passages that are forever written into my unconsciousness, interwoven with my own (difficult) life experiences.
From my favorite: THIRTEEN
"Listen. I don't apologize for being hard to know but apple pies and warm hands help and I've never known a cat who couldn't calm me down by walking slowly past my chair..."
In McKuen's words I find pain. Joy. Sadness. Sometimes all in the same poem.
Still, there are poems that I can still recite from memory, passages that are forever written into my unconsciousness, interwoven with my own (difficult) life experiences.
From my favorite: THIRTEEN
"Listen. I don't apologize for being hard to know but apple pies and warm hands help and I've never known a cat who couldn't calm me down by walking slowly past my chair..."
In McKuen's words I find pain. Joy. Sadness. Sometimes all in the same poem.
December 22, 2016
I was surprised by how much I liked this collection in comparison to Suspension Bridge. There were motions, histories, and stories expressed here that kept me engaged throughout -- overall, development that was missing in his other collection.
"And so when I think of love and loving / I think of people dying alone for lack of love. / The skeletons of kites / setting off treetops and telephone lines." - "The Days of the Dancing"
"I filled the seat beside me / with my coat and books. / I'm antisocial without you. / I'm antiworld and people too." - Listen to the Warm, 20
"And so when I think of love and loving / I think of people dying alone for lack of love. / The skeletons of kites / setting off treetops and telephone lines." - "The Days of the Dancing"
"I filled the seat beside me / with my coat and books. / I'm antisocial without you. / I'm antiworld and people too." - Listen to the Warm, 20
October 25, 2015
Rod McKuen - singer, song writer, author, poet, director, concert artist - and the list goes on.
Not being much into poetry, this poet, and this book in particular, puts me in a charmed placed, very mellow, reflective, and at ease, each time I read it.
Gentle words, spoken to the soul, fill this book. Sensitive stories written of love and loss, renewal and death, hope and despair.
A must addition to any library.
Not being much into poetry, this poet, and this book in particular, puts me in a charmed placed, very mellow, reflective, and at ease, each time I read it.
Gentle words, spoken to the soul, fill this book. Sensitive stories written of love and loss, renewal and death, hope and despair.
A must addition to any library.
May 6, 2010
Rod McKuen's books have been a favorite since childhood when my Aunt bought me this book, and 3 others to add to my collection.
August 6, 2011
McKuen's poetry speaks simple truths in ways like a thrift shop speaks to me of 25 cent silverware and one dollar culture music. His poetry is extremely palpable. Recommend it!
April 6, 2013
It moved me in 1968 and still does. It's not high brow poetry, but your everyday person can relate to it.
September 6, 2013
Remember this book? It was my first BEAT generation title. I loved Rod McKuen's raspy voiced-poetry. It reminds me of rain streaming down windows.
August 8, 2017
I have read this poetry book over and over and over. I love his poetry. That's it.
November 29, 2017
a favorite
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews