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A Thought for Today
I am not convinced that truth alone can make us free, but I believe in a beginning and a final resting place.
Hi Ken,
A friend told
me fairly recently that Rod once wrote a poem for Adam Small.
Is this true?
If so, I'd love to read it one day!
All the best,
Graham
Page, Cape Town
Thanks for a really
interesting question, Graham.
For those who might not
immediately recognize the name, Adam Small is Professor of Literature at
the University of the Western Cape and one of South Africa's foremost
poets. As a man of color his career suffered at the hands of apartheid yet
he never wavered from his chosen course, that of spreading the gospel of
love, compassion and understanding to all the peoples of South Africa.
The poem you're referring to
is called "Prejudice" though whether or not it was written
especially for Adam only Rod can answer. It was certainly dedicated to
Adam in the book "The Rod McKuen Omnibus" though it does appear
in a number of other books sans dedication.
During Rod's mid-seventies
visit to South Africa he and Adam read together at a poetry soiree hosted
by two of our leading show business personalities, Des and Dawn Lindberg.
When I last saw Des he reminisced about that evening and it was clear from
the look in his eyes that something very special had taken place.
Rod and Adam hit it off particularly
well and I know Rod was most concerned when he received word a couple of
years ago about Adam's ill health. I haven't received any further reports
regarding his well being but we all hope he's recovered and back on track.
If you have a favorite McKuen
song or poem you'd like to share with us, drop me a line at ken@mckuen.com
and I'll make sure it's featured here one Wednesday.
-
Ken, Johannesburg, April 18
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