Gene Pinkney , Poetry - Faculty Fishing Trips Now and Then

Attention Turtles!

Faculty Fishing Trips Now and Then

The turtles all gathered in May of 05

At Greystone on Ottertail Lake,

At least most of the ones that were then still alive

And could get there without too much shake.

Though the weather- plagued fishing was some of the worst

The gathering had a good time

Eating chicken and singing old songs unrehearsed

And recounting the old days sublime:

Days when Horton and Cliff Hermes led us along

On a squeeze box none other could play

With the same wondrous rhythm he used for each song

As the troop let their harmonies sway.

And Dell Sanders would be there a clacking his spoons

And Ballweber wearing his grin

While old Lathan West brought a tear to our breast

As he tinkled his old mandolin.

And the guy on the fiddle let fly with his noise,

Funky music to scream-loving ears,

While the basses and tenors sang out like good boys

With the help of a few tear-filled beers.

But somehow O-five’s meeting wasn’t the same

So many old turtles had gone

To that riverside high in the deep with no name

Where they quietly take rest from song

Till the sky’s great Director gives each one his cue

To join in the choir with his part

To swell the great chorus with voices brand new

And melodies sung from the heart–

Singing no more of lost loves and romance gone bad

Nor of bar rooms where losers morn long,

But of God’s great reunion where everyone’s glad

To join in a Heavenly song.

For the Lord has prepared a most glorious place

Where the lost ones of earth can be home

And all who receive Him can share in His grace

And the Paradise we will all roam.

So sing out all you turtles,

New members and old

And rejoice in the great bottom line,

For all that have passed will return to the fold

At a fishing trip Jesus designs

Then we’ll sing with Goroski, and Ed Werre too

Miller, Anderson, Sperling and Kjer

Swede, Neal, and Mike Johnson will serve Bob Deitz food

To Moeller and Robertson there

And Brophy and Wittie and Whitman and Vial

And Larson and Shuette and Szczur

Will drink to Bob Peterson’s toothy new smile;

Nordgaard, Aldrich and Hilgers confer.

And of course we’ll see Brushwein in Sperling’s huge barge

And Jewett and Jim Jacobson,

Who with Wade and Don King will do R. Jensen’s thing

While Bob Poss mustards up a fresh bun.

And Bob Egge will booze there, and wild Errol E.

Will look tall in his massive foam hat,

And Engen and Tobin will sport merrily

With Hegal, Moen, Henry and Mowers and Spraat

Ther’ll be Stockert and Torgeson, D. Morrison

‘Sickle”, Ostby, and Hal Miller too.

And Blain Helgeson will bring Merbach and come

In Gene Pinkney’s old “shit creek” canoe.

He’ll be out there with Swanson a paddling hard

To get back for the great sing along

And a chance re-sing some old CTB thing

With the rest of the great turtle throng.

So all you fond turtles, keep all your hopes high,

There’s a great fishing trip planned some day

On the shores of Lake Eden way up in the sky

Just ask Jesus to show you the way.

(G.P. 8/5/06)