Ned at 85

A thousand songs!
(Though unmoved by voice.)
U. S. by passport;
But French by choice.
Attracted more to outrage than decorum:
Happy birthday.

He conquered Paris,
This grave young man did,
With notes and notebooks
Uniquely candid.
If critics didn’t get him, he’d ignore ‘em.
Happy birthday.

One look at what he’s done and said
Suffices to determine
That, whether he was scorned or celebrated,
Ned remained distinctly Ned:
Piquant, pungent, spirited
And just a tad opinionated.
(“You disagree?  Then you are German.”)

And so, as Ned
Passes eighty-five,
We toast his brio,
His gifts, his drive.
We marvel at, delight in, and adore ‘im: true.
Happy birthday,
Mister Rorem:
We drink to you.

Ned Rorem turns 85 October 23rd: Phoenix Concerts celebrates.