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Why were people always so happy to see William
People are afraid of aging, death
Being around William inspired people
Made them less afraid
He represented vitality
Tireless commitment to the poetry community
A vigorous desire to be in the thrust of life’s mix
He’d take a bus 3 or more hours
to be at a poetry reading for only one
At 83, the cast member more than any other
To cooperate with the true spirit of The Naked Word
He certainly was Playboy’s favorite performer
William was fearless and fun
He was a true and loyal, provocative companion
When someone had broken my heart
As happened more than once in our long years of friendship
I’d want to hide in my apt. for years on end
He would call me relentlessly
Always knew where the cool parties were
Where the newest readings were on the scene
In our many commutes to places he would find for us
He would tell me tantalizing tales from his
youth, WWII days, gambling, and womanizing days
He never quite got over the loss of his young wife
And soon after that his infant son
Raised his daughter on his own and was devoted to her
He loved to tell me the story of how he came to be married
It was a romantic affair
Time to travel on he told her
As he’d told others before
Here he’d always pause
As if at a screen door
She cried, he says
And he walked away
He got halfway down the road and stopped
Thought how much he liked her
Felt bad to break her heart
Told himself he ought to go back and marry that girl
So he did
He was always the perfect escort, we always had fun
All the girls liked William
And he liked all of them
So that made him a friend of men
The life of the party on the dance floor
Where he was known to cop a feel
Yet William truly respected women
One had to overlook the assumptions of others, outside the poetry community, at times
No, William didn’t need money to keep female friends
He was a gentleman, a poet and a scholar
A winner at national poetry slams
He could hold his own in any crowd
And did
William was a liver of life to its fullest
He spread that energy contagiously to all around him
Always ready for poetry, parties, political rallies
Wise and wonderful
William McLain
What an honor and a privilege to call him friend
He lived life right up to the end
Thank you William, I know I’ll be seeing you again
Love
Kennon B. Raines
©2003, Kennon B. Raines
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