NaPoWriMo 30 ~ Letter

Here's the prompt from Poetry Tow Truck: Have you ever told poetry how you feel about it? For today, write a love letter to poetry itself – or to a favorite poet or poem, or to words, or to a person that brought poetry into your life…interpret the prompt however you like. And keep poems in your life every month, not just in April.

Thank you for the prompt, Donna. I read Donna’s piece first, and it was about her first poetry crush. I went to the same place. I have not read nor thought about Rod McKuen for quite a few years. It was fun to revisit some of his work on the Internet. One of his pieces made me know that I would be okay no matter what happened in my life. It follows my letter to Rod McKuen.
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Dear Mr. McKuen,

Thirteen year old me
floundered through identity
and craved popularity

fourteen year old me
hid in my high school library
reading your plain language poetry

you saved me
behind the stacks
identifying with your angst
and yearning your desire
we got to know each other
your words entered me
and sent me to Safeway
after a purple spiral notebook
where you became my first muse.

You saved me, Mr. McKuen
when saving is what I needed most.

Clouds are not the cheeks of angels,
and you Sir, helped me push some from my way.

May love shine its light
through your life every day.

Walk in peace,

Brenda Warren

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Eight: Pushing the Clouds Away
By Rod McKuen

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 away
or make them hang above the water somewhere else,
but I'm just a man
who needs and wants,
mostly things he'll never have.
Looking for that thing that's hardest to find--

I've been going a long time now
along the way I've learned some things.
You have to make the good times yourself
take the little times and make them into big times
and save the times that are all right
for the ones that aren't so good.

I've never been able
to push the clouds away by myself.
Help me.

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A HUGE SHOUT OUT to Rob at Writer's Island.  Thank you for providing a place to post our poetry all month long.  It's been a fun ride.