The Poet

Not sure why anyone would pay me to write verse but I am available for it and I'm not bad. maybe you'd like a song lyric or something.

Back in 1958 I was drafted into the United States Army.

At Ft Meade, MD I entered and won and All-Army talent contest. I then won the Army level contest and place third in the All-Army contest. There were, I was told, 34-thousand entries on the post level that year.

I recited poetry (honest to gosh. "What did you do in the war, Daddy?")

My act included works by Vachel Lindsay, E.A. Poe, etc.

As a result of my win I got to march around on The Ed Sullivan Show a couple years in a row (I won the contest a second year as well).

And I got into Special Services.

For the rest of my time in the Army I traveled with the 2nd US Army Showmobile playing Service clubs, NCO clubs, Officers' clubs.

When I got out of the army I went to Greenwich Village and recited my own stuff in the coffee houses.

Fast forward thirty-five years: NH Public TV produces a show entitled The Works of Robert Frost. I recite the poems. The show is shown nationally and wins an Emmy for the producers, Steve Salniker and Bill Humphreys.

• Sample 280K