rod mckuen and me

1968
i discovered rod mckuen

i read his collection of poems
and felt his loneliness, his pain

he was the hippie Californian
that was so late '60's.

now,
as i once again read his poetry,
i wonder....
was i ever
in that much pain?

a selection from
"lonesome cities"

"paris"

i've drawn your face
on tablecloths across the country.
tracing your smile
with my index finger,
making your hair just so.
till now you're more
what i want you to be
than what you are.

i can paint your eyes and say
this is where i lived
for twenty minutes and more.

i order grapefruit
and pay for ruined napkins.
and between the morning and the evening
i draw your face a little fainter every day.