Wednesday
5th December, 2007
December 7,8,9 - Rod McKuen
in Palm Springs!
Click HERE for details.
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Rod at
Dos Vidas. Photo by Thomas Kist from the 2006 Arjan Vlakveld film “Rod
McKuen: A Man Alone” for Netherlands Public Television. Photo ©2006,
2007 by Stanyan Audio Video Archives. All Rights Reserved.
A Thought for Today
Living a good and honest life is often tedious work, but worth the time and
effort it takes.
FROM the¨BOOKS
PASTORAL
Finally the wind has finished
piling up November leaves.
Now it turns
to drive the snow in drifts
along
the
fences
of December farms.
The cattle come slow
or not at all.
They scratch their backs
against the barnyard doors.
Their dialogue,
even as they chew their endless cud,
is low and mournful.
The lazy longhorns,
down the pasture
venture outside only
for a cooling taste of snow.
The wise among them
stay inside the shed
switching tails at what few flies
now survive the early winter.
Lie back.
The wind is on the move.
Till the bare tree limbs
stand still again
we’ve no need to move at all.
Turn not away from me.
But if you turn toward me,
do it in a lazy way
and slow.
Let me sleep a minute more.
When the coffee starts to perking,
come to me with smiles.
- from "Fields of Wonder", 1971
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on the Stanyan House logo to buy Rod McKuen books, CD's and lots more
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Catch Rod McKuen live!
Click on the links below for details of
concerts and appearances.
ROD McKUEN
CONCERTS
ROD
McKUEN APPEARANCES
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Morgan Brittany o
Margaret Cho o
General George Custer o
Joan Didion o
Walt Disney o
Morgan J. Freeman o
Maggie Hayes o
Larry Kert o
Fritz Lang o
Jim Messina o
Grace Moore o
Frankie Muniz o
Jim Plunkett o
Otto Preminger o
Little Richard o
John Rzeznik o
George Savalas o
Strom Thurmond o
Calvin Trillin o
Jack Valenti o
Martin Van Buren |
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Immortality must be terrific, no one's ever complained about it.
You will grow more if you travel with giants.
I'll try anything once, and anything that doesn't hurt more than once.
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THE CHRISTMAS CACTUS /
December 17 |
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The Christmas
cactus
blooms against the wall -
its crimson vulva opening at night
and staying through the season,
the blossoms heavy
at the end of slender stems
of plants like octopi
sans evil eye and middles.
Pink and crimson
in the bath or after bath
hands dabbing at your arms
you were Christmas every silent night.
Today a woman in the East-end market
looked up from celery and salad greens.
For one slow moment, it was you -
Christmas in a black print dress.
I am hounded by the holidays
that come in bunches now.
Bright poinsettias and red ribbons
tied to cedar branch and pine,
great armfuls of you signal to me
question me at every corner.
Heavy-headed, staring down
avoiding Yuletide smiles
and New Year promises,
I stay as calm as crystal,
but I am still afraid
of looking up.-
from "The Sound of Solitude", 1983 |
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