Review: Listen to the Warm by Rob McKuen

Synopsis: A book of free verse poetry written by pop-poet Rob McKuen, published in the early 60s. This is his second (or third, depending on how you count things) book of published poetry.

Review: I'd never heard of McKuen until my Grandmother died and I inherited her collection. I probably wouldn't have cared, except she had every one of his books, several with dog-eared pages. I miss her terribly and wish I'd been able to ask her about the ones she marked. I am determined to read all of them; this is my third. I remain ambivalent about his work. It's not the worst poetry I've read, but it's certainly not the best. It's trite, repetitive and cliched - almost as if it's trying too hard to be deep. However, it was extremely popular in its day, so it appeals to the masses.
People say poetry is dead today, but I disagree. Songwriters are the new poets. Poetry is now in the music. Some is extraordinary, but most is banal and mediocre at best. McKuen's work is like Brittany Spears - catchy, but in 100 years, it won't be around.

Bookmarks: 5 of 10

Awards: None

Date Finished: 3-3-2011
Pages: 34