I think this will be an interesting thread. With the advocacy of Dana Gioia and Donald Justice, many New Formalists have read Kees carefully--to the extent that there is a little bit of a backlash against "the cult of Kees" in certain quarters and some sentiment that his mysterious death has given him an undeserved aura. I personally think that's unfair, although I do think his body of great work is so small that he will always be, at best, on the fringes of the canon. I also think the "I have no daughter. I desire none." line (I'm doing it from memory so God I hope I have it right!) is one of the most stunning endings anyone will ever read.
I think this is a brilliantly eerie poem, with the deliberate off-key note of the irregular repetend adding a spooky music. It wouldn't work nearly as well if it weren't so close to a perfect rhyme.
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